


A Mother's Love

by blackjax123



Category: Ancient Greek Religion & Lore, DCU, Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: BAMF Eliza Danvers, Eliza Danvers is So Very Done, F/F, I'm Bad At Tagging, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Lena Luthor Knows Kara Danvers Is Supergirl
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-31
Updated: 2020-10-06
Packaged: 2021-03-03 08:48:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 26
Words: 71,604
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24468217
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blackjax123/pseuds/blackjax123
Summary: Eliza Danvers is an incredible woman.A scientist, doctor, researcher, homemaker and loving mother.She is proud of her accomplishments, and proud of her children, but an empty nest wears at her heart and soul, and romance has been a bust.So she makes a prayer, barely spoken, whispered to an uncaring void.And someone, against all expectations, is listeningFollow this awesome woman that doesn't get enough credit for being a bad ass in this world of super-powered bullshit as she interacts with the a newly revived pantheon of gods.
Relationships: Alex Danvers & Eliza Danvers, Eliza Danvers & Kara Danvers, Minor or Background Relationship(s), Other Relationship Tags to Be Added
Comments: 124
Kudos: 99





	1. A Silent Home

**Author's Note:**

> So, this is my first fic, I hope y'all enjoy!  
> Full disclosure: I, while being fully entrenched in the Supergirl fandom, have never actually watched the show due to finding out what a shitshow it is. So if anyone is OOC, you know why :D
> 
> Huge thanks to my dearest roamingjaguar for agreeing to proof-read my steaming pile <3

**A Mother’s Love**

**Chapter 1: A Silent Home**

Eliza Danvers was a busy woman. Or she should be.  
The sheer number of projects she directed would indicate such, let alone lab-work, travelling to conferences, guest lecturing, the paperwork, good _God_ the paperwork.

Yet it felt altogether too often these days she would come home from her lab-work or her shift in the clinic and find herself in her quiet home in Midvale, by the seaside.

Alone.

Nothing to welcome her but the rush of waves in the distance, serving only to emphasize the deafening silence of her home. Each step on the kitchen floor echoing, the clinking of keys, so muted in the busy streets, ringing like church bells to her ears.

When met by this silence once more in the foyer of her house, she sighed, before taking a quick shower and changing out of her work stained cloths, looking forward to the small pot roast she had prepared for herself in the slow-cooker that morning.  
_I miss my girls_ , she thought, not for the first time, as she readied one of her increasingly elaborate dinners for one.  
Her girls.

Alex Danvers, the now Director of the Department of Extranormal Operations (DEO), a secret government organisation dealing with the extra-terrestrial, the magical, and the increasingly nonsensical, so the rest of the world don’t have to. Her beautiful, brilliant, headstrong daughter had risen her way through the ranks and had worked the field for years before revealing her real job to her mother, a source of much tension between the two. Not only did her work put her in great danger on a routine basis, but that very same work had taken Eliza’s husband, Jeremiah, from her all those years ago, and she could never quite find herself at peace with the organisation, even under her daughter’s management.

And her younger daughter, Kara, adopted but no less beloved. She had bloomed into her role as a reporter for CatCo media, all while juggling her second job as the much loved Supergirl. Eliza had seen the weight of the juggling act and had heard its impact in their weekly phone calls. Yet despite, or perhaps because of this weight, her youngest had blossomed, showing the world her strength, and spreading that light that was so uniquely Kara.  
  
Plating up the food, Eliza smiled. She’d be seeing her girls soon for Thanksgiving, only a few weeks away, and always a source of great joy in the household.  
Getting a glass of wine, Eliza started her meal, smiling briefly at how well-cooked the beef was, falling apart under her knife.  
She ate while listening to that distant crash of waves, the silence settling like a blanket over her once more.  
She had tried to put on music in the past, but it felt like a lie;  
no Kara singing angelically, no Alex rocking out to whatever metal she was allowed to put on.

No Jeremiah to dance with.

In the years immediately following Jeremiah’s disappearance, she had used her work and her girls to keep herself occupied.  
Then they had left the nest, and the grief set in, so she had buried herself even further into her work, furthering humanity’s understanding of everyone else in the stars. It was worthwhile work, and she had received great acclaim for it in the form of awards, research grants and guest speaking positions. Yet at the end of the day she always came home to this.

Her house, her home, once filled with laughter, and bickering, and so much love.

Now, memories. Ghosts of the past.  
She had thought often of selling up and buying a smaller home, yet could never bring herself to part with it. It was her girl’s home, their sanctuary and retreat from the stress of their lives, and she couldn’t, wouldn’t deny them that. Not to mention the housing market in Midvale was rubbish at the best of times, and for all she may grouch, she loved it here, had built a life here, and wasn’t sure how much life she had left in her to build a home somewhere else.  
  
There was of course, another way to solve her loneliness. Yet dating was tricky at best in her situation, everyone either a colleague or some fresh faced nobody looking for a quick route to the top. Why they thought that route was Dr Eliza Danvers, hexagenarian professor of this, that and the other thing, was beyond her, and while a brief night of pleasure had been something she had enjoyed, there was certainly nothing worth pursuing in the long term.  
Eliza chuckled as she made herself a hot chocolate. Yes, she was undeniably attractive for her age, working out and swimming most days, leaving her with a surprisingly muscled and youthful form that belied the grey streaks in her blond hair and deep smile lines in her face.

How her daughters would blush if they knew what else she had gotten up to. To her secret delight she had made the student’s not-so secret list of “Staff We Wanna Bang” for the last three years running, a fact she took some secret pride in. She had even been slightly more daring in dressing to the undergrad lectures she gave in the weeks immediately following the list’s release, a fact that would be sure to cause her daughters to combust if they knew the reason for it.

Yet it was all so very hollow, and she soon found herself buried in her work once more, all thought of romance dismissed. Thus, she found herself once again in her empty house, with her dinner for one and the sound of waves the only thing disturbing the weight of silence.

As she readied herself for bed and settled into it, the last thought on her mind was a drifting

.... _It would be nice to have someone to share this with....._

................

In a universe as diverse and wondrous and simply, staggeringly _big_ as this, it should come as no surprise that something as small as a sleepy prayer would be heard.

What may surprise even the most intrepid of heroes and world travelers is just who may be listening to such a simple plea.

................

The next morning, as Eliza rushed out the door for the morning lecture only recalled by her diligently set alarm arranged weeks before, she paid no heed to her house. She failed to notice her kitchen, having resigned herself to take-out that night, nor did she pay much heed to the subtle disturbance of the lounge. After all, she was mother of a superhero; unexplained visits are something of par for the course. She did not consider that her daughter may prefer to go straight to her room for the night and would be sure to greet her before leaving.

................

Coming home that night, Eliza opened the door with a sigh of exhaustion. She shed her heels at the door, before staggering her way into her room to get showered and changed. As it was a Friday, some of her colleagues had invited her out for drinks following the days’ work. One Dr Nathan Edwards, a biotech who worked for Lord Tech in National city, had been particularly insistent, going so far as following her to her car despite her refusals. The last thing she needed was a lackey of Maxwell Lord breathing down her neck.

Walking down the hallway toward the kitchen somewhat refreshed from her shower she stopped.

Something had changed. The first thing she noticed was the smell. Gone was the subtle citrus of air freshener mingling with the sea-salt breeze. In its place was that of a mouth-watering roast, which quickly led her mouth to do just that.  
Following the scent into kitchen, the second thing she noticed was that the oven was on, clearly the source of the smell. Opening the oven, the scent wafted over her, that of lamb roast with a medley of vegetables on the side. Pulling out this odd, but not unwelcome, inclusion to her day, she put it atop the stove for a closer inspection. As suspected, it was a small pan of roast lamb, expertly carved and glistening, surrounded by all of her favorite vegetables: onion, potatoes, yams, and even a slice of pumpkin. Yet on closer inspection, it was not however, a _full_ pan. Whoever had set this to roast had since taken exactly half of the contents; half of the succulent lamb, and half of the vegetables taken cleanly, exactly, down the middle.  
Somewhat more puzzled than alarmed at this point, Eliza scanned the kitchen once more and noticed something else. Two mugs set out, one steaming with what smelled of a decadent hot chocolate, the other empty, but with a ring of said beverage around the rim and coating its bottom.

Confusion growing now, Eliza noticed something else.

The house wasn’t cold.

The house had always been well insulated, Eliza had been very particular about that, even after adopting a super powered-yet-still-adolescent-clumsy alien as a daughter. Every wall demolished had been diligently replaced _and_ insulated.  
Yet coming home late at night in the fall and winter inevitably left her walking into an icebox.  
Following the source of heat to its source Eliza was met with a roaring fire in the lounge, with a full wood basket to match.

This was particularly strange as she hadn’t used the fireplace since last winter.

The heat pump was simply less work, even if she could never use the timer start due to her schedule being as inconsistent as it is.  
Yet here this fire was, blazing merrily as if to spite her. And, she noted, putting out far more heat than it had any right to. This fire had to have been blazing for hours to have heated all the way to the entrance this way, yet there was no evidence of this. Looking closer, there was no ash or wood-chips upon the hearth’s tiling, and no layer of ash on the fireplaces bottom, having been cleaned in the summer. Tracker her eyes upward, Eliza noted something else, her alarm growing now. The fire inside showed no evidence of actually _burning_ the logs inside. The flames danced upon them, and the heat it produced was undeniable. But the actual wood looked as fresh as if it had been placed there from the pile.

Eliza had seen many things over the years. Associating with the DEO even distantly over time had exposed her to all a matter of phenomena, from the dangerous and terrifying like some of the aliens her daughters dealt with, to the downright bizarre in the form of 5th dimensional travelers. Yet all her experience, even limited or second hand, had one thing in common:

It was all logical.

Sure, maybe not in a logic that your standard human may understand, and perhaps filtered through the lens of thousands of years of history and technology far outstripping that of Earth.  
But logical nonetheless.

This experience told her two things.  
First, that there was something going on here that she, puny human that she is, does not understand.

Second, that there is a reason for it.

This is the more concerning part, because for the life of her she can’t think of any reason why someone (or something, she reflects wryly) would do this.

She wanted to understand this, she really did, the scientist in her standing up and screaming like a small child at an amusement park. But she was tired, it was late and her mind was fogged from dealing with office bureaucrats and sycophants and Tim and Jennifer in Grants and Accounting, a task not for the faint of heart at the best of times, let alone after 4 hours of lectures.  
So, she did what any Danvers would do:

She got out a plate, cutlery and some wine and sat down to eat.

Right as she was about to dig in however she stopped, some spark in her groggy brain pulling her up short. Someone (or thing) had arranged this for her, obviously with great care. Sure it could indicate malice, but with whatever tools they had at work, they could clearly have so easily harmed her that there was simply no need to go through all this effort, which ruled that out nicely, if only for now.A lifetime of Jewish upbringing, if only in name at times, kicked in at this point.  
This meal had been arranged for her. It was only polite to thank them(/it), right?

“Hello? Are you there?” Eliza asked nervously, before pausing for a moment, waiting for a response.

Silence, with a side of waves.

“Well, to whoever arranged this meal for me, I just want to say thank-you! It was very generous of you! I’m glad you took some as well, I’d hate for you to go hungry on my part. I could just as easily have had take-out you know.” She said before chuckling nervously.

Eliza paused again. She really didn’t mean to sound ungrateful.

“Well, I guess I’ll just eat now. I really am grateful. It truly does look delicious!”

She paused once more before sighing. They had come into her home and could have done anything, anything at all, and had opted to make her what looked to be a fantastic meal, a hot chocolate, and _an eternal fire._ Surely, she could do better than ‘thanks!’ She thought somewhat bitterly.

The devoted mother, scientist and home-maker sighed.  
“Look, I don’t know why you chose me for this. You could have picked anyone I suppose.

I just want you to know that you have my gratitude. And..... and I’d like to meet you.  
You are welcome here, if you’d like to visit.

I could use the company....”  
She trailed off sadly, knowing somehow that They, whoever or whatever They were, could hear her.  
  
Eliza shook her head, before smiling and starting eating, moaning with surprise at the amazing flavors.  
Whoever cooked this, they were _good_.  
  


................

Perhaps, if she had known the power of such an invitation, she may have hesitated, put more thought into it at least.  
But it was delivered. And just as before, in time, it was answered.


	2. Thanksgiving

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eliza mulls over her new arrangement with her Guest, and the family visit for Thanksgiving.

Chapter 2

  
In the following days Eliza had warmed considerably to her new schedule of sorts, the Eternal FireTM  still defying explanation, yet doing wonders for her mood afters years of coming home to a somewhat frosty home in the Fall and Winter. She had strongly considered asking Alex to take a sample to her work, but had opted against informing her daughters for two main reasons.

The first and least of them was that her own investigations led her to believe that the wood in the fire (something she had retrieved with difficulty, oven mitts, a long pair of barbecue tongs and a pruning saw) was exactly as it appeared: Wood from her own wood pile, pine to be precise.

The greater reason was the same as what led her to eat the food on the first night: if the Guest had wanted to, they clearly could have done just about anything. Instead, they had opted to deliver to Eliza what appeared to be an eternal source of heat and energy in her home. The motherly scientist was tempted to set up some form of converting apparatus to harness this, but logic dictated that if they could gift her these flames they could just as easily remove them and, well, she didn’t want to be ungrateful and panicking her daughters helped no-one.  
Because she really was grateful.  
Not just for the fire, though that definitely contributed.  
Not even just for the meals, something that was now being left out for her on a nightly basis. Varied in flavour and culture, though with a leaning towards Mediterranean, they were all delicious leaving Eliza, a not-unskilled cook in her own right, in awe of whomever had made them.

The meals were also all halved as before, an undeniable indicator of her Guest’s presence.  
And it was for this that Eliza was most grateful.  
No longer did they house possess a clinging stillness and weighted silence, interrupted only by the distant waves. Now on returning home, the house held a welcoming touch, the rich smells of a home-cooked meal and the crackling of the fire a balm to her loneliness.

Now, however distantly, she was not alone. And that made all the difference.

After one particularly aggravating day in which Edwards, the slimy toad that he was, had dogged her steps across two labs and a lecture, Eliza arrived home and felt nothing but sheer relief at stepping through the door. The warmth of the fire welcomed her, and the dinner, a delightful beef and mushroom risotto, filled her and brightened her shadowed mood. As she ate the last forkful with a pleased hum, an idea sparked.

Surely, if the Guest could gift her delectable meal each night, Eliza in turn could give them a gift?

She mulled over this idea. Perhaps something cooked in turn? They clearly were an expert when it came to cookery, but that didn’t mean they didn’t appreciate some good baking, Eliza thought.  
After all, someone gifted at one may have no luck at the other, she chuckled softly at a memory of disastrous Kara’s efforts in the kitchen. A gift to a pastry kitchen that girl, but could burn water on the stove in spite of Eliza’s efforts to teach her.

With a smile on her face, the mother of two daughters and too many of their friends set about making some classic chocolate chip cookies for her Guest, having another glass of wine in front of the fire while waiting for them to cook.  
Simple is best, she thought as she pulled the finished product from the oven, the scent of freshly baked cookies flooding into the room. After letting them cool for a while, Eliza carefully plated half the batch on to a platter before putting the rest in a tin, minus one for herself of course.

Putting the platter on the table, she pondered a moment before making two hot chocolates, her special cinnamon and vanilla blend, placing one on the table beside it.

“Hello? Dear Guest?” she said, a little nervously, not entirely sure how to address them.

“You really have been delightful to have around, and your gifts are very much appreciated, especially today,” she noted wryly.

“I thought I’d leave you a little something as a token of my thanks. I don’t know if you like chocolate chip but I figured it’s usually a safe bet.” The greying blond finished with a chuckle.  
After a moment, a thought occurred to her, and figuring she had nothing to lose, Eliza addressed her hidden Guest once more.

“I’d like to ask a favour, if it’s not too much? In a few days, my daughters are coming and, well, it’s something of a tradition in my family to make the Thanksgiving meal together. Would it be possible for you to not make the meal for us? Of course if you want to be included, you are welcome to make a side dish, and I’ll be sure to set aside some food for you so my bottomless pit of a younger daughter doesn’t eat everything.” She finished lamely, before shrugging. No loss in asking, and she really didn’t want her girls to get needlessly upset.  
“Anyway, I just wanted to thank-you once again. Enjoy the cookies!” Eliza finished with a grin, before going to bed.

As her consciousness faded, a very faint crunching noise traveled down the hallway through her open door, and she smiled sleepily.

_I’m sure my Guest has their reasons for not wanting to be seen. At least they liked the cookies_ , she thought as sleep claimed her.

.........

Thanksgiving arrived and, as requested, no large gourmet meal had appeared in the kitchen that morning. Rather, a large sweet potato, orange and bacon salad had shown up in her fridge, causing Eliza to smile and say a quick thank-you to her sneaky Guest. Following a quick shower and breakfast, Eliza set about readying the house for the arrival of her girls. Changing the sheets on their beds, getting out some towels, and taking a third of the wood from the wood basket back to the wood pile, as an unchanging full basket would be sure arouse Alex’s suspicion, she reasoned to her hidden friend.

Soon enough, Eliza’s family arrived, Alex and her partner, Maggie Sawyer walking in first. Alex walked briskly, with all the confidence her position afforded her, and a smile lighting up her normally stern features. Maggie followed with her usual swagger, yet smiled shyly on seeing Eliza waiting for them. Eliza in turn grinned seeing her girls, welcoming Alex and Maggie with hugs bourne from years of love. Maggie had been slow to welcome the affection, yet as inevitable as the tide she had succumbed to her Mother-in-law-to-be’s mothering.

“Welcome back, my lovely girls! It’s so good to see you!” said Eliza, giving them both kisses on the cheek.

“Hi Mom. It’s great to see you too!” said Alex with a grin, followed by Maggie’s “Hey, Eliza,”  
as they moved through to the lounge.

“Did Kara and Winn not drive up with you?” asked Eliza, noting her younger daughter’s absence.

“No, She and Winn opted to come up with her giiiirrrrrrll frrriiieeeennndd” Alex answered with a smirk, before following with an “Ow! Hey!?” as Maggie punched her in the shoulder.

“Alex, be nice to Lena, you know how nervous she is to meet Eliza,” cautioned Maggie with an annoyed frown at her fiance.

Eliza put her hand on Maggie’s shoulder before saying “I’m glad that you’re looking out for her Maggie, I could see how nervous you were when you met me. But it’ll work out fine”  
she finished with a smile.

She knew from her talks with her girls that both Maggie and Lena grew up in troubled homes, knowing Maggie’s led to her moving halfway across the country, and Lena having the misfortune of being a Luthor. A more troubled family one did not easily encounter.

Making the couple welcome, Eliza smiled as she pondered her girl’s love lives. She was so glad they had found partners who seemed to truly treasure them, above and beyond the lives that their positions and heroics afforded them, seeing them for who they are and loving them for that. For the longest time Eliza had worried that their day (or night) jobs would prevent them from ever forming that kind of meaningful connection, and had began to wonder if she should question Alex in particular on her sexuality before Alex had come out to her.

Maggie was a social creature who’s easy confidence complemented Alex’s more rigid demeanor, yet Alex’s deeply caring nature was perfect to support Maggie’s more fragile internal narrative, Eliza reflected, having spent far too long in the past analyzing the pair.

As for Kara and Lena, the pair was certainly new as a couple, yet the chemistry had always been there to hear her elder daughter talk. Kara’s bright sunshine-incarnate attitude a blessing for the powerful, yet deeply hurt CEO, who responded to her daughter’s affections with all the love a mother could ask from a potential daughter-in-law.  
Apparently there had had recently been some drama about Kara revealing her role as Supergirl before becoming a couple. Thankfully, whatever affection they held for each other proved stronger than the mistrust the Luthor family had instilled in Lena, and they were able to resolve the conflict and get together. Really, imagine how bad it would have been had Kara held onto that secret for years, Eliza thought, shuddering. No, best get that out of the way fast and clear the air.

Soon enough, a bright “Elizaaaaaa!” was heard from the hallway, followed by the bouncing form of one Kara Danvers, doing her best golden retriever puppy impression as she scrambled for a hug from her grinning mother. She was followed by a Winn Schott Jr., a shorter, well-dressed, intellectual man. He had been in deep need of the love that being semi-adopted into the family had provided, and grinned as he witnessed his kinda-sister’s antics.

“Hey Eliza!” he said, smiling warmly as she gave him a hug. He had started joining the family holidays shortly after becoming friends with Kara, having no family of his own to speak of, and hadn’t looked back since. Trailing behind them was a tall brunette, with fair skin and piercing green eyes, who Eliza presumed was one Lena Luthor, smiling lovingly at the (still) bouncing blond.

“You must be Lena!” said Eliza warmly, gesturing her forward.

“Nice to meet you, Eliza,” said Lena, holding a hand out to Eliza for shaking, who frowned at the hand, before saying, “Put that away and come here, we hug in this house” pulling her into exactly that.

“I suppose I should have guessed,” Lena chuckled from inside the hug, before meeting Eliza’s warm grin. “You are Kara’s mother after all,” the brunette said before stepping away, smiling warmly.

From there the day followed smoothly, the hours blurring together as the loving group put together the evening’s feast and played board games as they waited for it to finish cooking.

Eliza made a point of stealing away a few logs at a time from the wood basket, and stirring up the fire as much as possible to try and avoid her daughter’s interest, but even with this, she came in after one such trip to find Alex looking into the fireplace with a faintly puzzled expression. Thankfully, for whatever reason, no mention was made of what suspicions she may have had, and the moment passed without comment.

In due course, the meal was ready and the group sat down to eat, Eliza pulling the sweet potato salad out of the fridge to put along side the rest of the feast.  
Kara sniffed for a moment before perking her head up.

“Eliza, is that sweet potato and bacon?!” she exclaimed, staring at the salad in fascination.

“And orange, yes. It’s a little something a friend of mine put together. They offered it in exchange for a portion of the rest of out meal tonight. It seemed interesting, so I agreed. I’m going to be putting a plate for them aside after carving, so no touching it!” Eliza warned with a stern look on her face.

“Well, it smells really good, so seems like a good trade to me!” Alex said, smiling at her mother and sister, with the rest of the group murmuring in agreement.

After carving the roast and setting aside said plate, the group began a long-time Thanksgiving tradition in the household, going round the table stating something they were grateful for in their lives.The groups contributions ranged from the intellectual from Lena regarding the scientific advancements of her company, to the adorable from Kara, rambling about her love of food, Lena, and small fluffy animals in no particular order.  
When it came to Eliza’s turn, she looked around the table at her children and their partners warmly. Finally, her eyes settled warmly on her Guest’s offering before addressing the table, saying “I’m grateful for new family and friends,” which was met by a chorus of “Awwwww” from the table.

The meal started in fine form, with everyone piling their plates happily.  
As everyone else started eating and chatting, the sound of Kara mowing into her food spread through the room, before coming to an abrupt stop.

The group paused, unused to her feasting stopping for any reason, her Kryptonian appetite being something of a force of nature. The silence didn’t last however, as a low moan echoed around the room.  
“ELIZA! THIS IS SOO GOOOOD!!” Kara announced, staring at the ceramic bowl the sweet potato salad was housed in with something bordering on lust.

Following this announcement, Alex snatched up the bowl stating: “Then you’ll have to share!”  
before spooning a solid helping onto her plate and passing the bowl around the table, all while glaring at her sister. The group divided out the remainder and started into it, followed by loud agreement with Kara’s assessment.

“Seriously though Mom, be sure to thank your friend for us, this is really good!”

“Yeah, definitely!” “Mmmhmmm.”

“Do you know the recipe?”

“No, my friend tends to keep quiet about their recipes. I suppose I can always ask again though”  
answered Eliza, which was met with fervent agreement.

The rest of the meal and the day passed in short order, with the majority of the group happily food comatose, laying about in the lounge, chatting, watching movies and generally enjoying themselves.

In good time, Eliza’s extended family made their way to bed, bidding her goodnight before leaving her seated happily in a chair in front of the fire. She sighed gently before smiling.

_It’s always so good to have the girls around the house, even if only a for a little while.  
_ Eliza frowned faintly. She really wasn’t looking forward to them leaving again, she reflected, but at least this time she wasn’t completely alone, thinking of her sneaky Guest and their contribution towards the meal.

Thinking of her Guest, Eliza got up wearily, before preparing the plate she had said aside earlier, and leaving it with a mug of hot chocolate in the middle of the bench before addressing them.

“Thank you again for the salad! It really was delightful, and my family loved it.  
I’d love to get the recipe off you sometime,” she joked with a cheeky grin lighting up her face.

As much as Eliza enjoyed even the distant presence of her Guest, she was still a scientist, curious by her nature, and so had begun to invite the them out into the open. She hadn’t succeeded in getting a reply yet, but there wasn’t exactly anything stopping her so far. Besides, it was only polite to thank her Guest face-to-face, she thought with a chuckle.

Her earlier attempts had essentially consisted of using baking to bait them into the open, yet she had so far only received plates littered with crumbs for her efforts. Still, it was nice to know her baking was appreciated, Eliza thought with a smile.

“Anyway, I hope you enjoy the meal! I don’t know if it will be up to your standards, but I hope you like it regardless. Happy Thanksgiving!” she laughed before leaving for bed herself.

As she drifted off to sleep, the faint sounds of cutlery and what might be the crackling of fire met her ears, making her smile sleepily as sleep took her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The reception for this brain child of mine has been amazing, thankyou guys soo much <3
> 
> Comments are very welcome :)


	3. Meet Heather

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A brief look into Eliza's work life before we meet another character in the story

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CW: Evidence of abusive relationship

**Chapter 3: Meet Heather**

“Edwards, that is quite enough! I have been more than patient with you, but you can be sure HR is going to hear the full extent of this, and I’ll be sure to talk to your boss too!”

Eliza was done with his shit.  
The slimy waste-of-air’s tailing of her had escalated in the last few days, and had finally resulted in his clumsy flirting causing a lab spill resulting in the loss of potentially months of research. It had been (barely) tolerable when it was more or less ignorable, and he had enough of a sense of self preservation to not interrupt anything sensitive, but she would have his head for this.

Metaphorically at the least. She hadn’t ruled out literally just yet.

Eliza stormed away from the idiot, intent on going home and having a drink, what with her work for the day being ruined.   
_Maybe even for the month_ , she thought bitterly as she exited the building.

And it was raining.

Fantastic.

Eliza was fuming as she made her way to her car when she heard the sounds of a loud argument.

“No, I’m done! You don’t get to treat me like this!”

“Honey, darling, I said I was sorr-”

“Yeah, just like you did last time! And the time before that you somehow convinced me it was a misunderstanding! Fuck, I’m such an idiot!”

As she approached her car Eliza could see the source of the voices.  
 _A young couple fighting, looks like college students_ , mulled Eliza as they came into view.

  
“Look, can’t we just talk this out? I’m sure I can make it up to you someho-”  
“Get your hands off me!”

“Sweety, I’m sure I can make it up to you.”

The fear in the woman’s voice made Eliza pick up speed, reaching into her tote bag for the can of mace she kept there. Alex’s special formula, the pain would last for days, while causing no lasting damage to the eyes. The cure for it was a special mixture that Eliza had supplied to the Hospital’s ED and to the Police precinct. Anyone sprayed could get treated there – and have to explain themselves shortly thereafter.

“Let go NOW!”

  
“I believe the young lady asked you to let go,” Eliza said sternly as she approached, projecting her voice in the way that made boards of directors sit up and listen.

The couple turned to her. The girl was young, just into her twenties probably, with long, light brown hair in loose tresses reaching down her back, and regal features, undeniably beautiful. Her eyes, a light coffee brown, were incredibly expressive, showing just how scared the young woman actually was. She had a muscled athletic build, like a dancer, but was hopelessly out-matched by the hulking creature holding her. Her simple, flowing blue dress was now streaked with rain, and her lack of a coat of any kind in the cold air spoke of her distress at her situation as much as the growing fear on her features.

The man on the other hand, was enormous, with a build one would expect from a superstar football linebacker, yet dressed like a businessman in a well-fitted matt black suit. He was also undoubtedly handsome, with chiselled features and long blond, almost white hair and electric blue eyes.  
And all of which was ruined by the arrogant sneer painting his face and the meaty hand wrapped around the girl’s wrist.

The man scowled at Eliza’s presence, before saying

“Get lost old woman. This is none of your business.” His tone was all casual arrogance, as if her compliance was guaranteed.

“No I think not. Darling, do you want him to leave you alone?”  
Eliza said gently to the woman, who nodded minutely, looking like she would rather be anywhere else right now.

The man’s features blackened, before practically snarling “I said get lost, hag! Before I make you!”  
as he stepped towards her, letting go of the girl in turn.

Eliza smiled gently at the girl, saying “everything is fine darling,” before whipping out the mace and unloading it liberally into the man’s face.

The girl stood mouth open in shock as her would-be assailant collapsed on the tarmac, his scream rending the air as he clutched at his face.

Eliza smirked saying, “I hope this teaches you a lesson young man. This will wear off in a few days, or you can go to the police station for the antidote and maybe tell the nice people there why you were maced in the first place.”

The girl stared at her, mouth opening and closing before settling on “Days?”

Eliza grinned proudly. “Yes. Days. A little something my daughter put together” the mama-bear said proudly as she made her way around the still shrieking man to the woman’s side.

“Though I may have used a little much here. I guess I should call the police station to come pick him up.” she said thoughtfully as she gently took the younger woman’s hand and led her away from the man towards her car.

The young beauty looked a little dazed at this before her features settled.  
“Good.” She said as her anger at the situation started catching up with her and over-riding the shock for a moment.

She looked quizzically at the elder woman leading her by hand as if just noticing it for the first time.

“Where are we going by the way?” the brunette asked. She felt safe with this motherly figure, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t confused.

“Just to my car. Get ourselves out of this rain and get the heater on. I’ll call the station about that bastard over there, then mayhap we can introduce ourselves to each other.”

  
The young woman started at the grinning blonde’s words. That’s right, she didn’t even know her savior's name.  
Eliza opened unlocked the car, something nondescript but comfortable, and they both hopped in.  
The still growling mother bear phoned the police after turning the heater on, as the younger woman’s mind tried to catch up with all that had happened in the last few hours.  
The call took a few minutes to sort out, the officer on the other end taking her details.

As Eliza finished her call, she was met by the sounds of sobbing filling the car.  
The mother’s heart melted at the sight of the breaking woman beside her.

“I know we’ve only just met, but would you like a hug?” she said softly, holding out her arms in invitation.

The woman nodded softly before leaning across the centre and laying her upper body in Eliza’s lap.  
For a while they sat there, Eliza gently stroking the young woman’s hair, the sound of rain and sobbing muffled by the roof of the car and Eliza’s woollen coat respectively, before eventually the women in her arms calmed.  
She righted herself before smiling at Eliza. It was a little shaky, but it was a smile nonetheless, and a welcome sight after the breakdown.

Eliza smiled in return, and then grinned before holding out her hand.

“Let’s start over shall we? My name is Eliza, Dr Eliza Danvers, and I work for the Midvale Hospital as a clinician and consultant.”

The younger woman chuckled at this before shaking the hand.  
“Nice to meet you Eliza. My name is He- Heather, and I’m a freshman at NCU. That cretin back there was Z- Zach, my now ex long time boyfriend. And to think I was hoping to marry him, before catching him cheating. Again! Fuck, I’m such an idiot!” Heather said bitterly, gripping her hair in frustration.

“Hey now, none of that. We’re only human, we all make mistakes.” Eliza said gently, not missing the girl’s faint startle at her words.

“Yeah, human. Guess mistakes are part of the deal.” the younger woman said, smiling wryly.

Eliza chuckled at that. “That they are, and it’s worth keeping in mind. Mistakes are how we learn.  
How we grow. Every one of them a potentially valuable lesson. The real trick is not repeating them, and you seem to have caught this on time, hmm?” She said to the brunette who found herself nodding. Eliza smiled at the woman’s agreement.

“Before we go anywhere, I have to ask. Do you think your home is safe? Did you live together?”Her tone was gentle, but she needed these answers.

“We- we lived together. I don’t think I can go back there. Maybe later to get some things, but not right now...” Heather trailed off, while Eliza nodded in understanding.

“OK. Is there anywhere nearby that you will feel safe? A friend perhaps?”

“No. I don’t really know anyone here. No friends of my own either. They’re all his” the young woman said, scowling at the realization.

“OK. Well I’m sure we can sort something out. I’m not going to leave you alone OK?” Eliza said gently, receiving a grateful nod in reply.

“Now, how about we head back to my place. It’s not too far from here and we can get a nice hot chocolate before figuring out where to go from there. I’m sure something of my daughter’s will fit you, so you can have a hot shower as well. That should help a bit, yes?”  
Heather found herself nodding once more.

“It’ll be nice to have someone for dinner. I could use the company,” Eliza finished with a small smile, a little sad now.  
She liked her sneaky Guest well enough, but the conversation remained somewhat one-sided.

While still shocked by what has happened, Heather was grateful to Eliza. The older woman had come out of nowhere and saved her from who-knows-what at the hand of her long time partner. She shuddered at the thought. ‘Zach’ had always been good to her, or so she had thought, but she knew he could be scary when things didn’t go his way. She remembered her creeping dread at his expression, and looked down at her wrist, where a dark bruise was starting to form.  
Eliza caught the glance, and a spike of anger lanced through her. _I didn’t spray him enough,_ she thought darkly.

She turned to the younger woman with concern before saying,

“Let’s get moving, and then we can put some ice on that OK? It’s going to hurt enough tomorrow even if it’s treated.”

Heather nodded yet again, her voice having left her at some point, and the concern on the mother’s face was obvious.  
 _Why does she care so much?_ Heather wondered.  
She had just met her. But those things had sounded nice, and she felt safe with her, her thoughts trailing off as Eliza started the car, the engines growl loud in the silence. The older woman had daughters, she mentioned. Maybe that explains it?

As they drove Eliza glanced at the girl every now and then.

‘Heather’ was so young. Younger than her daughters even. And not particularly trusting, though she decided she couldn’t really blame the woman for that. Eliza knew nothing about her, really. Where were her parents? She was clearly far from home. She hoped the girl had a support network outside of that beast’s circles, but she wouldn’t be surprised if she didn’t, Eliza thought bitterly.  
It was exactly the sort of controlling move such pile’s of filth were typical of. Make their partner reliant on them by cutting them off from their friends and family, often finances too, before treating them like dirt with no way to escape intact.

She would have to ask more questions later, find out the extent of the damage.  
She also pondered the Heather’s faint look of surprise at the assumption of being human.  
Maybe Heather was yet another alien visitor?

If so, she came to the right person, Eliza thought with a smile, thinking of the trials of raising a teenage Kryptonian. She just hoped that Heather had some form of support for that too. It was all too common that aliens had next to no help on earth, short of some of the smaller communities that had formed.  
 _I guess I’ll just have to see_ , she thought as they pulled into the house’s driveway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey ya'll!  
> I have an update schedule for you now!  
> I'll be updating on Mondays and Thursday/Friday for the next 6 weeks or so.  
> (NZ time. So maybe Sunday and Wed/Thurs for most of y'all?)  
> I have that much pre-written, only needing editing, and after that I guess we'll see?  
> Thanks for reading, and once more comments and Kudos are very much appreciated <3  
> All the best!  
> blackjax


	4. New Homes for Broken Hearts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The rest of Heather's night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CW: cheating partners
> 
> A shorter chapter this time, but might post sooner to make up for it.
> 
> Once again, thanks so much for the love!

**Chapter 4: A New Home for Broken Hearts**

* Heather’s POV *****

As Heather followed Eliza inside the house the first thing that struck her was how warm it was. She’d really had no idea just how cold she had been, she thought, shivering a little.   
The young woman trailed behind the motherly figure through the house into the kitchen where she was offered a seat while Eliza bustled around, around her, doing.... something.   
Heather was still in shock at the days events.

The day had started well enough, she thought, though she struggled to recall it.

Waking up, having breakfast, working on some assignments for class until the late afternoon, then deciding she would surprise ‘Zach’ with some coffee at work.

  
‘Zach’.

It’ll do as a name for now, ‘Heather’ figured. They’d been together so long, or at least it felt like it.

As long as she could remember.

It had felt like they were married. They were everything _but_ married.

He was her everything.

Had _been_ her everything.

It was why she let him persuade her the first time she had discovered his cheating.   
She hadn’t wanted to think about life without him.

Then she had gone to his office, smiling past his colleagues, who smiled in return.

Failing to notice some of their true expressions.

Some covering for worry. Others almost smug.

Hindsight is a bitch, she thought.

Her holding a finger to her lips as she walked past his secretary and winking at them, wanting to surprise him still.

The secretary’s dumb shock at her presence.

Opening the door, his favorite coffee in hand (black, with a shot of vanilla).

Seeing them. Against his desk.

Her shock.

Her _fury._

The confrontation.

His personal assistant's smirk. Naked, light glinting of their body, sweaty from exertion.

The yelling.

Her storming out of the building, leaving her coat where she had dropped it in the spreading pool of coffee.

Heather felt something touch her hand, blinking as she realized it was another hand.   
She shook her head, then looked up to see Eliza looking down at her with concern.

“Heather? I have a towel and some clothes ready for you. Nothing fancy, but they should be comfortable, and fit well enough I hope. How does having that shower sound?”  
Eliza asked with quietly.

Like someone talking to a scared animal, Heather thought briefly.  
Heather felt herself nodding dumbly before she took the bundle of clothes and towel, and followed Eliza to the bathroom, a simple but well fitted affair.

_A scared animal_ , she thought, as she undressed and got into the shower.  
 _Fitting_ , she thought bitterly. Of course this stranger would treat her like she was fragile.

Like she was about to break at any moment.

Was already broken.

She realized she was sobbing again, the sound echoing in the bathroom, loud against the drumming of the shower.

At least the shower was nice. The hot water beating on her as her back, knotted with stress and tension, unfolded and her muscles relaxed with a sigh.  
It hadn’t looked like much.

None of the house looked like much, but it was warm.  
Full of soft colours, and photos of Eliza and her daughters she guessed? Full of life. It might be why the place was so homely.

It felt like home. Why would it feel like home?

Maybe it was Eliza herself? Eliza didn’t look like much.

An older woman, streaks of grey in her blond hair and wrinkles on her face, yet still somehow so young.  
She was intelligent, if the Doctor in front of her name meant anything.  
No real indicator, Heather thought, recalling some of ‘Zach’s’ colleagues, but enough at face value.

She was fierce, remembering Eliza’s snarl as she maced her partner.

Ex-partner.

She was kind. And warm, remembering how Eliza had held her as she cried from the whole situation.  
Before even knowing her name, Heather thought with a chuckle, recalling the somewhat belated introduction they had made, breaking the tension with ease.

_She better not have been kidding about that hot chocolate_ , the younger woman thought as she dried herself and got dressed. She wasn’t kidding about the clothes at least.

Heather looked down at the much loved clothing. A pair of track pants and a NCU hoody, paired with some new underwear fresh from the packet, much to Heather’s relief.  
Nothing fancy, but comfortable.

Fitting really. Much like the rest of the house, and Eliza herself for that matter. It’s nice, Heather decided. Maybe Eliza could be trusted, with time.

But for now, a hot chocolate seems perfect.

The young woman made her way back to the kitchen, and was a little alarmed to find it empty,

before she heard Eliza call out to her: “Come through to the lounge, darling, it’s more comfortable in here.”

Heather followed her voice through a doorway and found the lounge. The room was much like the rest of the house, painted in warm colours and filled with signs of life. Photos hung on the walls, next to paintings of landscapes from someone’s fantasy and fantastically detailed, perhaps made by one of her daughters? The furniture looked expensive, but well used and extremely comfortable,

the armchairs by the fireplace being a prime example. Seated in one was Eliza, looking comfortable in a fluffy dressing gown herself, clearly also having showered in this time. Yet she had still somehow found time to make a pair of hot chocolates, one of which she was drinking with every sign of contentment. A trick of being a mother, Heather instinctively knew. Only a mother could manage time in such a fashion.

  
Eliza smiled up at her over the rim of her mug, before saying “Come, sit down and get comfortable.  
Our meal for the evening is already prepared, so relax, and make yourself at home. Put this on your wrist too, it’ll help with the bruising.” The older woman passed over an ice pack wrapped in a dish cloth.

Heather took bundle and did just that, trying not to look at the darkening skin before picking up her mug.

Dinner as well? Another trick of motherhood, Heather supposed, though that didn’t seem quite right.

She took a hesitant sip of her drink, before sighing with bliss. No, packet mix, this was not.

She looked up to see Eliza smiling at her in amusement.   
“Cinnamon quills and vanilla, as well as some quality chocolate my youngest, Kara, brought me back from a trip to Europe,” Eliza smirked with a wink.

Heather looked down, blushing. Had she been that obvious with being judgmental of the drink?  
Heather lived simply for the most part, but would splurge on a few luxuries she had acquired with Zach’s help, hot chocolate being one of them. Something she would have to cut back on, she thought with sigh, suddenly feeling morose again.

Zach had found his way into every facet of her life, and excising him would be a trial even without any resistance he may put up regarding her belongings at the house. His house.

“Hey,” Eliza said softly, her voice cutting through her brooding.

“We can sort out anything that needs sorting out tomorrow, and I can call in a few favours to help get you on your feet again if needed. For now though, just relax in front of the fire. We can have Dinner in a little bit,” she said with a gentle smile.

And there was a fire, much to Heather’s surprise, looking at the source of the warmth in the home. A roaring one, that had clearly been going for far longer than them just getting home.   
Something about it was familiar, Heather thought, the idea briefly flitting through the fog in her brain, before it slipped her mind in favour of a frustrated huff.

“Eliza, is someone else living here? The way you spoke earlier, I assumed you lived alone.  
Because I’m sorry but there is no way you showered, made us drinks, prepared dinner _and_ set up a fire that has clearly been going for hours! I mean, I know you’re a mother so you must have some tricks, but even so, this is a bit much!” Heather gestured to the fire with her free hand, suddenly much more energetic in her confusion.

Eliza took another sip, before humming and saying “I don’t believe I said I lived alone, just that I could use the company,” she dead-panned, while her eyes sparkled with mischief.

At Heather’s annoyed huff at her statement, Eliza finally laughed, rich and heartily, the sound filling the room and causing Heather to blush in embarrassment.

“Well, in answer to your question, the answer is both yes and no. I have a Guest you see,” Eliza began, somehow articulating the capital letter.   
“They are very shy, and not one for conversation so to speak. But they are very considerate, and like to help me in small ways. They keep the fire going to keep the house warm, and ready me meals, something invaluable with my schedule being the mess it is. In return, I bake them things as thanks.   
They keep me company in this lonely house of mine. I suppose we might help each other,” Eliza finished thoughtfully, staring into the fire.   
Heather nodded, though still somewhat confused. A Guest huh? She had caught that emphasis, even if she had no idea what to make of it. Well, that explained the fire and meal. It was either that or Eliza had some sort of magic or powers, though she hadn’t ruled that out just yet.

“Will I encounter this Guest of yours?” The young woman asked, still curious.

Eliza was quiet for a moment, the crackling of the fire filling the silence, before answering.  
“Well, I wonder. That would be up to them. They are very private after all.” The older woman looked thoughtful before finishing, “I’m sure that if they were to want some company, you would be it my dear.”

“Why would you say that?”  
“Oh, no reason. Just a feeling.” Eliza replied cryptically, a mischievous grin on her face at the younger woman’s obvious frustration at this answer.

“You are good company after all. This has been the most exciting evening I’ve had in some time,”

Eliza commented with a small chuckle, before draining the rest of her drink and standing.

“Come, let’s have dinner shall we?” she said before leading the way into the kitchen.

The rest of the night passed in a blur. Heather had brief flashes of crying into Eliza’s arms, the mother putting away a few bottles of alcohol on the bench resulting in Heather yelling about why couldn’t she get drunk? Shouldn’t she get drunk? Then feeling the numbness wash over her again.

Being in the bathroom and patiently coached through getting ready for bed.   
A brief impression of a soft bed, with someone running their hands through her hair.

Then, blessed darkness and sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comment if you'd like a chapter in addition to the normal posting k?
> 
> Comments and kudos are most very much appreciated, hope y'all are doing well in this dumpster fire of circumstances <3


	5. The Passage of Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Heather wakes and find the world as she left it: weird. 
> 
> Are you an amnesiac if you remember everything?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A beginning to figuring out what's happening with Heather.
> 
> Releasing this early on request to make up for the shorter previous chapter :)

**Chapter 5: The Passage of Time**

The next morning saw Heather waking to a brilliant dawn searing across her eyelids, and try as she might, sleep failed to reclaim her.  
So, since the light didn’t seem to want to go away any time soon, Heather went ahead and got up.  
The rest of the previous night had been uneventful, what little she could recall of it anyway. The events of the previous day had left her mind as somewhat of a blur.  
It followed that, seeing as her mind wasn’t out to play, her body was in charge for the moment.  
Said body had a list of demands, and was issuing ultimatums against them being met, naturally leading Heather to the bathroom.

After having met the most pressing of these demands, what was currently proxying for her consciousness decided that a shower might be in order, so she did that too, finding a new towel and new old clothes for her to change into. At this point something vaguely human was emerging from the fog of Heather’s mind, but her body still had veto rights, so food was apparently in order.  
The idea of this made Heather perk up some. However fuzzy her mind was, her body was very much aware of the scent of bacon making it’s way the hall and so her mind and body held an armistice, with fried, greasy goodness being the main selling point.

Treaty made and deal struck, Heather’s body made her way toward where she vaguely recalled the kitchen was, Heather’s mind trailing behind happily.

As she arrived in the kitchen, the new republic of Heather was met with the welcome sight of one Eliza Danvers, doctor and mother and to all appearances quite the morning person as she proceeded to managed several frying pans with what could only be decades of practice, all while singing under her breath.

“Heather! Good morning darling!” said Eliza happily on seeing the new arrival, turning from the stove to give the sleepy woman a bright smile. “How did you sleep? I see you found the clothes I left out for you. I hope you like bacon and pancakes, and I have some freshly squeezed juice and a pot of coffee ready to go if you want them.” The mother flushed, embarrassed at her rambling.

“I wasn’t sure what you would like, so I may have gone overboard. I hope you don’t mind. I haven’t had company staying over in some time outside the family.”  
Eliza said, brushing some hair behind hair her ear nervously.

The younger woman took a moment to process the well-meaning torrent before chuckling.

“I slept well Dr Danvers, thank you. You really didn’t need to go out of your way like this, you know.”

Eliza smiled, looking relieved. “It was really no trouble dear. And please, its Eliza. I get enough Dr Danvers at my work to ever have to hear it at home.”

Heather nodded. “Eliza, then,” she said and was met with another bright smile.

Any further talk was interrupted by the snarl of Heather’s stomach, who looked embarrassed while Eliza chuckled at the noise.

“Come, let’s get some food in that beast,” she joked while Heather flushed.

The pair plated their food and, following a brief discussion on beverage preference (Heather preferred juice in the mornings, while Eliza was a caffeine junkie that only the medical professions could produce), the two started on their meal.

As they ate Eliza asked, “So, Heather. What brought you to Midvale? Surely studying at the main campus in National City would be more to the liking of someone your age.”

  
Heather finished her mouthful of pancake, then took a sip of juice before replying.  
“Zach of course. What else?” the brunette commented dryly.

“He works for his Dad’s company, Saturn Inc. It’s a company that works in time shares and resorts.  
Zach brought us here on a trip originally. We came last year when he was needed to settle some of the zoning issues that emerged from setting up a seaside resort and some time share properties on the beach front. After having been here for a few months we decided we liked it, and rest is history.” Heather lied smoothly.

It was a _good_ lie.

  
Well rehearsed and practiced, and had the added benefit of being perfectly true, as far as anyone could recall.  
But that was the trick wasn’t it? As far as anyone could recall.

Because what no-one could recall was that the business had appeared overnight.

As had it’s owner and his son.

As had _she._

As far as anyone she talked to could tell, the company had been building itself for years, and the owner of Saturn Inc.‘Kirk Saturn’ and by extension, his son ‘Zach’ were well respected business men.

Heather had known something was off from the moment she had first woke up.

She’d had no reason for it, but she had known even as she turned to see Zach smiling sleepily at her that morning that they had an extensive history together and the business had been steadily growing for years, all while simultaneously _not being there yesterday_.

This had led her to do research on the company and, sure enough, years of proper paperwork and accreditation and even Trip-finder reviews rose up to meet her, with coffee stains and one star reviews from people angry at not getting a free ride to match.

It had bothered her immensely, but it wasn’t like she could tell anyone.

Not that she had anyone to tell.

Besides, what would she say. “Hey, I know I have a proper birth certificate and academic record and apparently years of equestrian and ballroom dancing experience, but I was born a month ago.”

Yeah, somehow she didn’t think anyone would buy it.

Eliza seemed to swallow said lie whole regardless, commenting that she recalled seeing construction crews along a private part of the shore line some time ago on of her trips to the beach.

Heather felt guilty at that, but honestly it was probably for the best. Even if she told Eliza of the her sudden emergence and that of the company and its heir apparent, their was no actual evidence indicating this barring a deep-seated knowledge that this cover story was _wrong_.

To cover for her discomfort at this Heather asked, “What about you Eliza? I’m guessing this being a family home has kept you here. You can feel the love in this place,” she said smiling at the older woman warmly. And it was true. She _could_ feel the love in this home, could almost see it, like a bright mist, and could feel its weight, built of years of love and patience and sacrifice as only a loving family could provide.

“You said you had daughters yes? Is there a Mr Dr Danvers? Or perhaps a Mrs?” she joked teasingly.

For a moment Eliza just looked tired, and sad, and Heather knew she had overstepped.

“Oh, oh I’m so sorry, if you don’t want to talk about it, it’s fine,” she squeaked out, before Eliza smiled gently, putting a hand on her arm to calm her.

“No it’s quite alright Heather. Yes, there was a Mr Dr Danvers,” she joked, eyes no longer misted with the past, “He even earned the Doctor! But he has been gone for some time. Yes, I still miss him sometimes, but life goes on, and time has helped immensely.” Eliza finished with smile.

“As for my daughters, yes, I have two of them. Alex, my eldest, works for the FBI, and Kara, my younger, is a reporter for CatCo magazine. Both are very busy with their jobs, but still take time to come see little old me,” she jokes, “they both came up this last Thanksgiving in fact, bringing there partners with them.” Eliza finished proudly, a grin on her weathered features.

Heather smiled back at the matriarch. She could see the beaming pride and joy at her daughters accomplishments coming off Eliza in waves, her obvious love for the pair all but tangible.

It made her heart sing to see it, and made her feel happy, and energized.  
_Now here is mother!_ Heather thought. Not some half baked soccer mom or PTA touting wench.

No, a mother, with all the weight and love that entails.

Someone truly worthy.

Heather almost jumped at that thought. Where in the world had that thought came from?

Heather listened to Eliza wax poetic about her daughters, how Alex had risen through the ranks at her work, and was a respected scientist in her own right, working in xenobiology, but with a finger in many disciplines. How Kara had lasted for years as the assistant to the infamous Cat Grant herself, earning her mentor’s respect before becoming an accomplished reporter in turn, and had even won a Pulitzer prize for her efforts.

Heather heard all this and could feel the bright mist flowing from Eliza as she gushed, the same bright mist she had all but seen around the loving home, could feel it curling around her limbs, filling her breath.

She buzzed at the sensation.  
She felt like she could lift mountains, like she could fly.

She didn’t know where this had came from, but she sure as anything wasn’t complaining and was increasingly curious to test what she could do with this new found energy.

It wasn’t too long before she got her chance, as Eliza soon got a call from her work, some kind of emergency meeting regarding a screw up by one of her colleagues.

  
“Damn Edwards,” the scientist muttered as she hung up. “Of course he’d screw up my weekend too.” Eliza shook her head, clearly angry at this Edwards character before turning to Heather apologetically.

“I’m sorry to leave you here Heather, but I’m going to have to go into work to help fix one of colleagues mistakes. Will you be OK here by yourself?” she asked, her face marked with concern.

Heather smiled, inwardly excited. “I’ll be just fine thank you Eliza. I feel at home here,” she said honestly. “Maybe I can make a few calls to try and get my stuff, get the ball rolling?” she suggested.

Eliza smiled back, looking a little relieved.

“Good idea. I’m glad you feel safe here, but best check the doors are locked when I’m gone just to be safe.”  
She was clearly still concerned, bless her, which made Heather smile wider.

“Yes Eliza,” she said in a sing-song voice. Eliza rolled her eyes at her teasing.

“OK, OK, I’ll stop mothering you,” she sighed, before turning to leave, before Heather caught her hand, pulling the surprised woman into a hug.

“Never stop,” she said into the mothers shoulder, which made the older woman chuckle.

“Well, if you insist,” Eliza said, patting her back before pulling back with smile and meeting Heather’s smile in turn.

Eliza let go and made to leave again. “Feel free to eat anything you like ok? No need to go hungry.  
I’ll see you later!” she said bustling about getting ready before calling from the door.

“Bye Eliza! Take care!” Heather waved her off with a grin.

After Eliza had left, Heather made sure to lock the doors as she had suggested, before returning to the kitchen, the core of the home.

_Finally_ , Heather thought. _Let’s see what I can do!_

She was powerful, she _knew_ this, but what she didn’t know was how long it would last.

She had spotted some free weights under the bed in the guest room, and that seemed as good a place to start as any. She made her way to the to the room, a grin lighting up her face as she dragged out the weights.

Heather looked down at her hands. They were soft, bare of callouses and well maintained, like those of a prize winning pianist or a master surgeon who’s hand were their life.

 _Or someone who’s never had to work a day in their life,_ she thought wryly. For some reason she resented this.

That her hands looked like those of a doll, pampered and kept.

 _Owned_.

She shook herself. That would take care of itself, she figured. Eliza was sure to have some number of tasks she could do to earn her keep.  
In the meantime however, it was time to test her limits.

“Lets give this a try shall we?” Heather said, before attempting to pick up the up the 5kg weight, and promptly hit herself in the face with it, as if its weight had simply failed to register.

“Ow!” she yelped, going rubbing her face with both hands, before stopping puzzled.

Several things had just happened that made her pause.  
The first was the obvious. The weight had, well, failed to weigh.

The second was also an oddity, and probably related to the first, in that hitting herself in the face with the weight had brought her no pain whatsoever, like a kitten had batted her nose with a paw.

The third was an afterthought to the second. She had brought both hands up to clutch her nose in pain, so what happened to the weight?

  
Looking down, she discovered it right where she had left it.

Dropped. Hanging in mid air.

How in the blazes had she broke gravity?

Heather was a bit worried now. Gravity wasn’t supposed to just _break_.

Maybe she had made it weightless? After all, the weight hadn’t weighed anything, and she was pretty sure it was supposed to do that. She looked around the side of the hanging object.

Yup, 5kg.

It was a weight, it should weigh something, and there was a limit to false advertising.

Stepping back carefully, Heather went to pick up another weight, a 10 kg barbell this time, carefully. Once more, this had more in common with moving a balloon than the value painted boldly on its side. Stepping back a little, she dropped it, above the bed just in case.

Like the 5kg(?), the 10kg(?) hung in the air as if to mock her.

Okay......

Heather cautiously reached out a finger to poke the buoyant barbell, and it moved under the pressure, but smoothly as if sliding on a greased surface. Not bobbing as a balloon might in the air.

So. Not weightless then. Probably.

Maybe I’m strong? She wondered. Easy way to check that she supposed.  
Along side the smaller weights was a weight lifting bar, and a small stack of weights to attach, though she found some more further under the bed.

Figuring this should work as well as any other, the curious brunette loaded every weight onto the bar before picking it up one handed, like one would an empty handbag.  
Feeling a bit silly now, she tossed it in the air the and frowned as it failed to come down.

 _So, I’m strong I guess_ , she thought. Maybe not Supergirl strong, recalling the feats of the caped heroine, but strong enough.

Heather pondered briefly as to whether she should take up heroing too, before deciding quickly that it wasn’t really her thing. _Either way, I should probably work out what’s happening with these_ , she thought glaring at the weights still hanging there.

Something occurred to her then, causing her to look out the window.

Something was wrong. She had done something. The air felt too still, stagnant like entering an empty house for the first time in years.

Then she spotted it.

A pair of gulls in flight, suspended in the distance, unmoving.

 _Surely not?_ Heather thought.  
She was panicking a bit now, and rushed outside, her heart hammering in her ears.

Sure enough, she soon found other things that proved her hypothesis.

A finch, pecking at some leaves, with glassy eyes as she lifted it from a branch.  
It was still soft with down, yet may as well have been painted stone for all it moved.

A grove of trees lining the path to the beach, bent under the sea breeze and failing to unbend.

And down the path, her feet pounding the sand as she rushed to meet it.

The sea.

Still. Frozen waves in the process of crashing.  
That’s what had been wrong. The near constant sound of waves that had been her companion these last weeks in Midvale had ceased, because they could not crash.

Well shit.

 _Forget gravity_ , she thought.

 _I’ve gone and broke fucking_ _**time** _ _!_

Heather felt a headache coming on.

OK. OK. Lets just take a moment and calm our shit, Heather told herself, trying to calm her breathing as she walked back to the house. She made her way to the lounge and collapsed on the couch.

_Time. I broke time._

_Well, if I did it, can’t I just undo it?_  
“Hey? Can time like, go now? Please?” Heather pleaded to the world at large, then felt immediately tired, exhaustion seeping into her bones.

Her plea was apparently sufficient as the sound of waves began again.  
This was followed by a series of crashing thumps down from down hallway, and finally, screaming agony from her arm, shoulders, back and nose, causing her to black out instantly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A wee beginning look at what Heather is capable of.  
> Here is a breakdown of some details:  
> 1\. She is (Not yet) super strong or fast.  
> 2\. While in Time Freeze she can do what she needs to, ignoring physical limitations.  
> 3\. After the Freeze has ended, all physical changes are enacted simultaneously, including any physical damage incurred by her actions breaking her physical limits during the Freeze.  
> e.g/ she could theoretically run the length of the US, but following the Freeze ending would take all the damage at once that would stop a normal person doing so should they take that damage as intended ie. over time.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed! Next chapter will be on the normal schedule.  
> Once again, thank-you so much for the kudos and comments, seriously helps with motivation <3


	6. All in a Days Work

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eliza comes home tired, and finds Heather.  
> Minor panic ensues.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is a bit on the smaller side, but has some tasty hints of things to come.  
> Enjoy!
> 
> Minor CW: Descriptions of Injury.

**Chapter 6: All in a Days Work**

Eliza pulled into the driveway that evening after having spent the afternoon aiding HR in putting Edwards in his place.

He was being transferred, thank God, and was therefore no longer her problem.

The scientist in her knew that everyone had to learn at some point (but the man had a PhD for God’s sake, though she couldn't help but wonder if he had somehow got it from a cereal box), yet Eliza had sighed with relief at hearing of his transfer.

 _This calls for a celebration_ , the mother thought, tired but elated with the result.

She hoped her Guest had a meal ready for her, though she worried that the inclusion of Heather might dissuade them from making it.  
Eliza had left out extra cookies, and even some cupcakes last night for her shy Guest, before addressing them, hoping that they might accept Heather’s presence.

 _Well, it’s their decision in the end, and I haven’t had to have take out for a while_ , Eliza thought amiably.

Opening the door to the welcoming smell of some tomato based sauce, Eliza smiled.  
Her guest had accepted her offering. Well, either that or Heather had been busy, but she hadn’t looked the type to be honest, the mother reflected.  
Still, the smell of a home-cooked meal put a pep in her step as she made her way into the kitchen, before calling out, “Heather, are you there darling?”

This was met by a heavy silence, the sauce simmering on the stove somehow loud in counterpoint to this.

“Heather?” Eliza called again. When this too is met without reply, Eliza shrugged.

Putting the kettle on, the weary woman calmed herself thinking, maybe she’s having a nap?  
Yesterday can’t have been easy on her after all.

Deciding she would check on her more visible guest while the kettle boiled, Eliza made her way to the guest room, where she received a shock.

Lying on the ground was Eliza’s weights that she had bought some time ago, but barely used, preferring to go for walks and swim, so had stashed under the guest bed in case her girls wanted to use them.  
All of them were out, the 10 kg barbell and 5 kg hand weight, but most obviously the free-weight bar. What was concerning about this was that all of the weights were attached, even the ones Eliza had stashed far under the bed, thinking they would see little use.

This put the bar at well over 100kg, something that someone with Heather’s build would clearly struggle to lift, if they were even able to.

 _If they were human_ , Eliza amended.

Yet lifted it clearly was, and dropped from a height, judging by the way the carpet sagged below floor level under the weights, having almost certainly broken the floor beneath it.  
Now Eliza was no stranger to home renovation, raising a Kryptonian would do that, but she couldn’t say she had expected to come home to it this evening.  
There was also a distinct lack of Heather in the Guest room, so Eliza left to search the rest of the house, now a touch concerned. If Heather was an alien, and her powers had just come in like Kara’s cousin Superman’s (or Clark Kent to his family) had over time to hear the Kent’s talk, then she might be terrified.

With this thought Eliza sped up her search, quickly finding the young woman collapsed in on the couch, looking far too still for comfort.

Eliza approached Heather cautiously, now extremely concerned.

The girl was in a state. Her nose had clearly been broken, and her face was pale, lips tinged blue, had been bleeding judging by the blood running down her chin onto her chest. That wasn’t the most concerning thing however.

Heather’s right arm was dangling over the armrest and it looked like someone had been torn it out of the socket.  
Whatever had done this clearly wasn’t satisfied with just that however as it looked like they had kept pulling. The muscles running from the forearm, up the biceps and onto the shoulder looking bleeding and shredded, like strands of a ropes torn and fraying.

Even as a piece of her panicked, Eliza felt that familiar calm detachment cover her mind as decades of medical training and practice kicked in.

First check for signs of life and threat to life, then consciousness.  
Eliza quickly found the girl’s carotid pulse, and was relieved to find she had one, if flighty and erratic beneath her fingers.  
Blood loss, have to get fluids in her.

“Heather? Heather are you awake?” Eliza asked sternly, her voice commanding as she gently shook the girl’s uninjured shoulder.

The pale patient groaned a little at the disturbance before stilling.  
Sleeping, not unconscious. Good.

“Heather I’m just going to move you darling, OK?”

Eliza shifted the still form onto the couch properly, propping the legs on to an armrest and supporting them with cushions.

“I’ll be right back, you just keep sleeping,” the doctor said, voice gentle now.

Secure the area, Eliza thought dimly, as she rushed around the house, ensuring doors were locked. Heather may have been attacked and, though the attacker was unlikely to have hung around, Eliza wasn’t going to chance it.

The doctor felt that familiar sharpening of her mind as the adrenaline hit her, and she grabbed her first aid kit and supplies from the hall cupboard before returning to Heather’s side.  
The kit was extensive, a product of her years of medical practice and raising pair of daughters who really should come with a warning label.

She was fairly sure it wouldn’t be enough.

Opening the kit, she grabbed what she thought she’d need before donning a pair of gloves.

Tearing open some sterile gauze packets Eliza wet them with a bottle of saline before cleaning the blood of Heather’s face.  
Impact trauma. A punch? Maybe hit with something? Minimal bruising.

Moving to clean the arm, Eliza wiped away the blood from what looked to be the deepest tear in the muscle before she found herself blinking in confusion.  
Under blood on the mangled muscle the was only clean, unbroken skin, a desert island in a sea of red.

OK, maybe there really was something to that alien Heather theory....

The now more than a little confused doctor then proceeded to clean the rest of the arm. Each wipe of damp gauze came away with a bloodied cloth and found clean, healthy skin beneath the red.  
In the end she was left staring at a slightly damp arm that looked like it had just been in a shower more than it had been stretched like toffee.  
There was no sign of the torn and twisted muscles from before.

But for the obvious dislocation Eliza would never have known that anything had happened to it.

Oh and the bloody gauze, she thought wryly.

Gathering up the used cleaning materials, Eliza threw them in the fire, thinking an eternal fire should suffice for disposal, and was promptly blinded by a blazing purple light as the cloth caught flame.

“Make that definitely not human,” the doctor muttered as she waited for her vision to clear.

After a few moments Eliza sighed as her vision finally returned, before turning to look at her less reclusive guest.  
The young woman was looking healthier, her skin now pinking in the fires warmth, looking noticeably better than prior to the purple light.  
Her sleeping face now rosy and restful, rather than pale and corpse-like.  
Whatever had happened had taken a heavy toll from Heather, yet one would never guess it, to watch her peaceful expression, her chest gently rising and falling with her breath.

Eliza was worried about Heather. The girl had told Eliza that she had no support here.

No friends. No family presumably.  
And almost certainly no support for whatever individual needs whatever her species had.

If she even knew what species she was.

If Heather was only coming into her powers now then there no telling what it would do to her system.  
And all of this was quite aside from whatever had done the damage in the first place.

The mother could only hope that what support she could offer was enough.

At least now it looked like a hospital visit wasn’t needed.  
And a hospital visit was paltry compared to the potential troubles of involving the DEO, who would certainly have shown up eventually.  
They might be working under her daughter now, but once you were on their systems they never let go of you, and that was a barrel of snakes the doctor would avoid opening if at all possible.  
The poor woman had just found out her love of years was cheating on her, and leaving him had lost her every support she’d had.  
It wasn’t the best of times to have a clandestine government agency on your case, Eliza thought, shuddering at the potential for emotional and psychological damage there.

Eliza smiled at her young charge as she stirred in her sleep, before walking to her and shaking her by her uninjured shoulder.

“Heather! Time to wake up darling.”

A pair of bleary mocha eyes opened at this prompting, looking sleepy and puzzled, before screwing up in pain.

“Holy Fuck! Ow!” Heather shouted, sitting up sharply and clutching her injured shoulder, making Eliza chuckle, softly.

“Yes, I thought that would catch up with you. You were sleeping nicely so I didn’t want to bother you, but it really is best we pop that back in, maybe straiten out your nose while we’re at it yes?” said Eliza.

“Then, we can get some food in us and maybe some painkillers for you, and you can do some explaining as to why I found you in here covered in blood and looking like you lost a fight with a blender.” The doctor added with pointed look, before helping Heather sit up.

Several minutes, a pair of loud clicks and some inventive swearing later, the two made them way to the kitchen partake in a meal of spaghetti and meatballs, thankfully still warm.

“I’m guessing this is another contribution from our shy friend?” asked Heather, now very awake and hungry to match as she served herself a plate.

“As a matter of fact, yes. I thought I would cook tonight, but it’s just as well they saw fit to make something really. I would have been somewhat distracted.” Eliza frowns at this, worry creasing her brow as she looks across the table. Heather in turn looked down at her plate, shying from the mother’s gaze.

“Look, you don’t need to talk about it, if you want. I don’t need to know what happened to you, or what you are. I just need to know that you’re safe.”

Heather looked up shy at this, and seeing only concern on her host’s face, sighed.

“Look Eliza, I..... I want to tell you. But you’re gonna have to give me a moment OK?” Heather face was open, her tone pleading, as she begged for Eliza’s patience.

“Something happened that..... well, it changed everything. And nothing. And I know I’m not making a lot of sense her, but I have to ask you to trust me OK? I want to tell you, I will tell you,

I just need to try and settle my head a bit first. Please?”

The now tearful young woman finally risked a glance at Eliza’s face, only to see a kind smile on her features, and her eyes holding a warm patience.

“I will hold you to that. But you can tell me in your own time OK? Just tell me one thing first. Are you safe?”   
The mother’s voice was firm but concerned, which made Heather smile.

“I am. For now at least.”

“I guess I’ll just have to be satisfied for now then,” Eliza said as she picked up her cutlery and started to eat.

“I’ll tell you more soon OK? I promise.” Heather said, relieved that Eliza wasn’t going to push the issue. Her concern warmed Heather’s heart, and she noticed the bright mist building around Eliza’s person as she beamed back at brunette’s reply, happy and relieved.

Heather felt that same warm energy fill her as before, and immediately felt better for it, like the tension relief of sinking into a hot bath after a long day.

Between forkfuls of delicious pasta, Heather observed the bright mist. It was clear that Eliza was producing it somehow or maybe gathering it, and just as clear she was unaware of this, Heather noted as she watched the mist drift from the banks building around the mother. The brunette stared for a moment, as she noticed something else:

The mist had a direction to it.

  
There were innumerable thin tendrils leading from the gathering fog, but those appeared to dissipate within a few meters. However among those tendrils were four thicker branches, like the tap roots of a tree, two larger and two smaller.

The larger pair lead out of the house and into the distance, and looked like they would stretch forever if needed.  
In the direction of National city, Heather pondered as she chewed on a meatball.

The smaller pair of branches did not look anywhere as stable, and went in two distinct directions

The first was tied to Heather’s chest, while the second went into the wall beside them, directly into the lounge, and the fireplace, Heather knew intuitively.

Heather’s branch glowed, then pulsed for a second, leading her to look up directly into the warm face of Eliza smiling across the table form her. As the brunette met the mother’s eyes, Eliza’s smile deepened and another pulse was sent along the branch of mist, leaving it just a little thicker and brighter than before.

Heather smiled back at the blond mother, the warm pulse of power rising in her, filling her limbs once more.

 _Well now_ , she thought. _Isn’t that interesting?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed this little chapter here!  
> While on the smaller side, I think later on most of you are going to come back and re-read this as a lot of it will be quite relevant.
> 
> Once again, many thanks for the love! The kudos and comments give me life <3


	7. The Phoenix Hatches

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We meet our Guest.

**Chapter 7: The Phoenix Hatches**

Waking from her unplanned nap to see Eliza’s concerned face above her had been something of a shock, Heather thought, though not as startling as the sudden agony of her arm and nose having been forcefully displaced.

As Eliza washed up the dishes and busied herself in the kitchen, the brunette settled herself by the fire with one of the mother’s addictive hot chocolates, she pondered the events of the day.

As sudden as the pain her arm and nose had been however, they paled in comparison to the real reason behind the brunette’s elaborate tirade of curses.  
Turns out pain of the body had nothing on pain in mind, Heather thought with shudder.  
Her waking moment had been coupled with a sudden rush of information, though that was an understatement.

If going to an undergrad physics lecture was a raindrop, what had happened in Heather’s mind was a monsoon, a torrential flood, and she was _drowning_.

Decades, centuries, fucking _millennia_ of memories were swimming in her skull.

The only saving grace of the matter, the only reason she was able to be upright at all, was because the memories, this natural disaster of information clanging in her skull, didn’t belong to her.

Not really.

They had.

Probably.

Or someone that she had been. (Several someones maybe?)

But for whatever reason, that subtle disconnect was a life raft, allowing her to ride the waves of information.

Keep her head above water.

Live in this world, instead of being smothered in her mind.

She took another sip of of the beverage before smiling fondly at the fire.  
In this vast flood of knowledge came several pieces of information, swimming like whales in the tide.

For example, the identity of Eliza’s erstwhile Guest.

“You can come out anytime you like,” she said fondly to the fireplace, causing the fire to flicker in response, somehow looking surprised before dying down some.

“I’m kind of jealous, you know? I just got here, but you’ve been here for weeks, to hear Eliza talk.”  
Heather grinned cheekily at the fire.

“You’ve been able to spend time in her presence for all that time. She already loves you, did you know that?”

The fire flickered again, somehow questioning.

Heather nods in reply. “Yep. She loves you. And I think she’ll keep loving you, and me too with a bit of luck.”

The brunette smiles as the fire somehow _blushes_ at her.

“Come now, it’s not that hard to believe, is it? You always were easy to love, big sister.”  
Heather smiles fondly at the fire.

There is a stillness then, followed by a sense of building pressure in the air, as the bright mist mist, normally a gentle silver cloud in the air of the house gathered into the trunk of fog leading into the fireplace.  
In time the glowing mist appeared to smother the flames, before the fire died down completely, the eternal flames finally burning out and leaving massive embers in their wake.

There was a sense of release, followed by a resounding crack which echoed through the room as the embers split, blackened and glowing, the shadows inside them somehow cavernous.

Out of these shadows came a small hand. It was clearly unharmed by the fire, yet was no stranger to work, the palm being possessed of numerous callouses, yet looked no less soft for.

Said hand was followed by small girls voice saying  
“I don’t suppose you could give me a hand could you? My legs are kind of asleep,” the hand's owner said shyly, causing Heather to cackle before standing up and setting down her drink.

The young (possibly old as time) woman grabbed the smaller wrist from within the fire, shaking her head while grinning.

“Come here you,” she said fondly, before _heaving_.

Attached to the slender hand came an arm, shoulders and finally a body stumbled out of fire place and into Heather’s waiting arms.

The girl, Heather’s big sister, appeared far younger than her, maybe thirteen at the oldest. She had a slender figure, and wore a deep red sundress, with a thin orange and yellow hoodie unzipped around her shoulders. The shy Guest had coppery red hair which framed her heart-shaped face, and an olive complexion she shared with her sibling. Her deep brown, almost black eyes were wide and bright as they looked up her sister.

Heather smiled down at her sister, before gathering her up in a crushing hug and laughing deep and warm as she spun her sister around and was soon matched by the bright laughter of the little girl in her arms.  
In time they settled, before spinning in shock at a gentle throat clearing.

The two girls looked across the room, where they found Eliza leaning against the door-frame, clearly having been watching them for a little while now, an amused smile on her face.   
The older (looking) woman shot a pointed look at Heather, before raising her eyebrow and saying,

“Heather? Aren’t you going to introduce me to your friend?”

At this Heather replied, “You already know her,” grinning at Eliza’s confusion.

Heather walked forward, placing the girl in her arms front and center before Eliza.

“Eliza, I’d like to introduce you to your Guest!” she said, beaming as comprehension slowly dawned on the mother’s face.

“This is my big sister, Hestia.”

  
At this statement Eliza raised an eyebrow in question, before settling her face and crouching a little before her apparent Guest.

“Hestia, that’s a lovely name. Nice to finally meet you Hestia,” Eliza said warmly before chuckling as the small red-headed girl threw herself at Eliza, clinging to her like a koala.   
Heather laughed at the sight, before seating herself and retrieving her drink.

Eliza followed this cue, seating herself with the small child still slung around her torso.

Finally ending the hug, Hestia pulled back with a cheeky grin, before saying,

“Nice to meet you Eliza!” causing the two other women to start laughing again.

“Hestia really is an interesting name though,” Eliza started after they had settled once more, the three of them on the couch at last, Eliza at the end with her arms thrown around Hestia’s shoulders.

“Are you by any chance named after the Ancient Greek Goddess? Also, and I feel I have to ask you this, why haven’t I met you before now? Your presence is very welcome, but I _am_ curious.”

These questions were met by an awkward, tense silence as the sisters turned to each other and had one of those telepathic conversations siblings sometimes have, reminding the mother strongly of her daughters.

Eventually, the pair turned to Eliza, before finally Heather spoke.

“About that, Eliza,” she began. “You know how, we needed to have a conversation about what happened this afternoon?”

Seeing Eliza nod, she continued, “Well, this ties into that. You might say this has everything to do with that.”

At this statement, Eliza nods once more, somewhat cautiously now, the questions clearly building behind her eyes causing Heather to sigh.

The brunette turned to her sister and said “Better to get it into the open now right?”

The small girl nods firmly. “Secrets and lies are how our family broke to begin with. The truth is the least we owe her.” Heather's body dropped with relief at this response, most of the tension leaving her shoulders.

Finally Heather turns to Eliza, her warm eyes pleading the mother to understand.

“I never lied to you. I might not have told you everything, but even I didn’t know the details, not until you woke me up about an hour ago. By all that I hold dear, I still don’t know the details. When... when you woke me, my mind was so _full_ of information, I barely knew my own name. Information. Memories. There was just so much I...”

Heather was crying now, either in pain or at the memory of the pain.

At this Eliza came forward, leading Hestia onto the ground, where both hugged the distraught woman, holding her till she calmed again. Heather shook her head, smiling at them in thanks while wiping her eyes. The brunette gathered herself once more before starting again.

“Eliza, when I woke up, I remembered a lot of things. Things about who I am. And more to the point, _what_ I am.”

She was looking at Eliza directly now, her expression, deadly serious. Eliza nodded to show she was listening, her expression focused but kind, encouraging Heater to continue.

“Eliza, my sister, your guest, isn’t just name after the Greek Goddess.”

  
Heather could almost see the information fall into place.

The food.

The _fire_.

“She is the Greek Goddess. She _is_ Hestia.”

Eliza was still at this statement, shock written on her features before they calmed.

“Okaayy...” the mother began. “If she is Hestia. If my guest is Hestia. If your sister is Hestia, _that_ Hestia......” Eliza said as she stared at where the fire was.

Had been.

The fire that had been going for weeks.

The pair of guests were nervous now, having dropped the first shoe themselves, and could see the second plummeting.

“Who are you?” Eliza turned to them, looking at them intently.

“What is your name?”  
  
The pair of girls shuddered at the question, the shoe having landed with a resounding thump.  
The brunette smiled weakly, looking Eliza strait in the eyes.

“My name.... my name now is Heather.” She began.

“B-but m-my name was....”

She stilled, the shaking stopping.

And in her mind the waves of information finally calmed.   
Memories, great leviathans of the depths swam past, and with them who she truly was, or had been at least, surfaced at last.  
Heather’s back straitened, and she somehow looked taller, more regal

Powerful.

“My name was Hera, Queen of the Gods”.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To those who guessed the Guest's identity, well done you!  
> Hope you all enjoyed the reveal :)  
> The next couple of chapters are a bit heavier on the exposition side as we learn about Heather's past, but I've tried to make them as engaging as possible.  
> Hope you all enjoy!
> 
> Might post another tomorrow if you lot are keen as this was a bit on the short side, though I'm pretty proud of how I wrote this one.  
> Feel free to comment if that's something you'd be interested in :)  
> Many thanks for comments and kudos, keeps me writing and makes me feel all warm and fuzzy <3


	8. Death and Rebirth (Pt.1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hestia's Story

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CW: Strong language I guess?

**Chapter 8: Death and Rebirth (Pt. 1)**

The air was tense and heavy after those words

“ _My name was Hera, Queen of the Gods”_.

Eliza had been fairly certain the younger (older?) woman was not a human.  
Aliens were somewhat par for the course for Eliza these days, though admittedly still fascinating.

Aliens she could have dealt with, hell, she had gotten good enough at dealing with aliens to be considered an expert on the matter.

She had even been somewhat prepared for Heather being a meta-human.

Eliza had dealt with a few of those in her studies and practice, so more or less knew where she stood on those too.

A God, she had not been prepared for.

Not even remotely.

Eliza looked at Heather.

Heather, not Hera. (That was important, though she wasn’t sure why.)

The (former?) Queen of the God's bearing was still tall and regal, but her eyes where pleading, begging Eliza to understand, her face open and vulnerable.  
Eliza startled somewhat as her bemused reverie broke to hear Heather still talking

“-and I know this is a shock. I will understand if you don’t want me to stay here any more. After all, I lied to you....”

Eliza smiled at the goddess(?) before cutting in saying,

“Heather it’s fine. You can stay here, I’m not kicking you out. It’s just a lot to take in, that’s all.”

The woman’s shoulders sagged in relief, at this, her eyes tearing up with gratitude.

_Yes, this is still my Heather,_ the mother thought, seeing the vulnerability in her eyes, _with all of her problems and no support._

_My Heather._

_Where had_ that _come from_?

The goddess collapsed on the couch, her sister gently holding her by her side.  
Heather took a few ragged breaths before looking up at Eliza and smiling.

“I imagine you’re have a few questions as to why I’m here,” she said, causing Eliza to laughed warmly.“Yes just a few.” The blond answered grinning, moving to the doorway.

“I imagine this is going to be a somewhat heavy conversation, so why don’t we make ourselves comfortable first?” Receiving a pair of nods, Eliza continues,

“I’ll go make us some more hot chocolates, and grab a snack.

Hestia, if you could get the fire going, I’ll be sure to include some of those chocolate chip cookies you like,” she finishes with wink.

The smaller woman (goddess? It was hard to believe but something told her it was true) visibly brightened at this, bouncing from her seat to stand in front of the fire and held her hands out, concentrating.

Moments later, the embers in the fireplace were joined by more logs which promptly caught flame, one which Eliza suspected may never die down.

“Thank you sweetheart,” Eliza said kindly, causing the smaller goddess to beam back at her, glowing at the mother’s gratitude.

Eliza made her way to the kitchen, and set about making three large mugs of her special blend and preparing a plate of cookies to share. Right as she was about to return to the waiting sisters, Eliza paused considering, before finishing a bottle of rum she had stored at the back of a cupboard and bringing that with them too.

Returning to the pair, Eliza was met with smiles at the drinks and baked goods, and raised eyebrows at the rum.

“Well, I did say I thought this would be heavy. I figured that a drink or two may take the edge off for me, and you’re welcome to some if you like Heather.” Eliza said in response, before turning to Hestia with a faint frown, before sighing.

“You too, I suppose Hestia. Sorry, it will definitely take some work to pair the fact you are almost certainly older than me with those bodies,” indicating the goddesses young forms.

Hestia grinned teasingly in reply before saying, “Many times older in fact, but I get you. This has got to be a lot to taken in.” which caused Eliza to smile wryly before replying,“Rather a lot, yes.”

At this comment the trio settled into their seats, each taking a moment to ready themselves, Hestia and Eliza opting to put a shot in their drinks, Heather declining with a smile.

The three sat in silence, enjoying their drinks, snacks and each others company before eventually, Eliza turned to the sisters before speaking.

“So. How do you want to do this? Shall I ask questions, or would you like to tell your story? Feel free to stop if it gets too much or if their is anything you can’t or don’t want to talk about.”

There an awkward pause before Hestia spoke up.

“I figure I’ll go first, since I’m technically the first guest here. You can ask any questions you really need to, and at the end we can answer any more you’ve thought of if needed,” to which the others two nodded.

Hestia took a moment to collect her thoughts, before taking a sip of her drink.

“Oh that’s really good. You make a damn fine hot chocolate Eliza,”  
the red-haired goddess exclaimed, receiving a smile and murmured “thank-you” from the mother.

“Any way, where was I? Right my story. How I came to be here.”

The Goddess of the Hearth looked pensive for a moment for continuing.

“Well, the short story is I heard your prayer,” she said, grinning at Eliza’s confusion.

“The long story... well, that’s a bit more complicated.” She took a moment to wet her throat again, before her face turned solemn.

“Way back when. A very long time ago. Once upon a time, in fact,”

she said with a flicker of a smile.

“I died.

Well, mostly. And it wasn’t just me either. All of us died.  
We were killed, betrayed and murdered by the God of War, my nephew, Ares.”

Eliza was silent at this, a million questions forming a blizzard through her skull before she finally settles on “I thought Gods were immortal?”

This question was met with a pained chuckle, before the little goddess responded.

“Well, we are. Or were anyways. Not too keen to test it right now. Can’t be killed by anything, except other gods or something of equal power.”

She heaved a sigh at this.

“Even then, we would reform after a few hundred years or so. Problem is, it was Ares doing the killing. All of the gods get a little something according to their domain, the thing they are god of.  
Poseidon was good with anything involving water, Demeter had the greenest thumb of all green thumbs, could make things grow where they really had no right to.  
Being the God of War, it turns out, comes with a couple of slightly more interesting perks, one of them being that Ares killed things, they were deader than most. Only ones better at making things stay dead are little brother Hades and Thanatos, the god of death.  
When Ares killed us, he scattered our very being, our Essence all over the place.  
Bad enough it was all around this galaxy, but no, that deranged bastard managed to spread it between fucking worlds, different universes entirely!”

Eliza frowned at this, trying to grasp the full meaning of her words, but missing too many pieces.

She knew of other worlds existence courtesy of Kara’s friend Barry who visits their universe irregularly, but to use that to splinter someone’s very being? Her mind was reeling at the thought.  
Hestia scowled at her drink, and was almost snarling at the end of this, before heaving a heavy sigh.

“Anyways, we were dead, and very dead at that. Might have taken forever to recollect ourselves, maybe never. But then something happened.  
It was about a hundred years ago I think, give or take a bit.”  
  
Hestia looks up at Eliza, with a smile of bitter satisfaction.

“Someone, somehow, up and killed that little fuck.” She said triumphantly.

“Language!” Eliza interjected reflexively, having spent years doing the same to Alex and her friends, and was a little surprised when Hestia looked embarrassed.

“Sorry Eliza,” the little goddess said chastened, causing Heather to start laughing.

Hestia scowled at her sister briefly and rolling her eyes.

“Anyway....” she said with a pointed look at Heather who managed to stop laughing, if only just.

“Someone up and killed Ares. And not a little killing either.  
As Ares was the only God around he had a bit more going for him in terms of power than he would normally have, so when he fell, he fell _hard.”_  
Hestia said, looking viciously pleased.

“He died, and in dying all but popped. Sent his Essence everywhere, and a least half of it just strait up vanished. And if that wasn’t enough, his killer, cause they up and killed the only god around, they claimed, or maybe were claimed _by_ his title. Now whoever beat him, _they_ are new the God of War. Ares isn’t getting up from that any time soon, maybe ever,” she chuckled, clearly pleased at the thought.

Somehow, Eliza really couldn’t blame her for feeling that way

The little goddess took another sip before she continued.

“Anyways, him dying, well, it kick-started the rest of us reforming. The Essence that Ares lost on dying, we managed to gather, or at least some of it. Meant that we reformed after a century, rather than several aeons or maybe never.”

Hestia paused for a moment before turning to Eliza with a bright smile.

“This is where you come in.” The red-headed girl said, causing Eliza to lean forward in anticipation.

“It was about a month ago now. I wasn’t even a consciousness yet, but I had been building for a while and was almost there. Then it happened. A small voice, so small, so quiet, but filled with love and longing. It called out to me, and not just me I think.

It said “ _It would be nice to have someone to share this with”."_

Hestia stopped and looked strait at Eliza, her expression solemn.

“That voice, that _prayer,_ was an open invitation. And it held such power.” the goddess said with reverence and awe in her voice.

Eliza stilled at this, her memory stirring. A memory surfaced of a lonely, tired night, and a short sentence, a plea.

Apparently, a prayer.

Hestia face brightened as she continued to stare at Eliza.  
“I heard that prayer, Eliza. I heard _your_ prayer. And you saved me.”

Hestia smiled up at Eliza, her voice gentle and loving.

“Your desire to have someone to share life with was just the boost I needed to reform. And of course, I’m not gonna turn down an invitation like that,”  
she finished with a delighted laugh, before springing up and rushing to hug Eliza who chuckled at the her antics.

“Well, I can’t say I had a goddess in mind. But I’m more than happy to have you darling.”  
Eliza laughed, hugging the little deity.

Hestia hugged the mother a little longer before standing up again and going back to her seat.

“After waking up I wasn’t quite strong enough to meet you in person yet, so I set myself up in your fireplace, and tried to keep you company while I built my strength.” She stopped and grinned at Eliza.

“Now I was thinking that it was gonna be another few years, maybe a decade at the outside before I could be up and about. Imagine my surprise when you started leaving me offerings!  
You had no idea what you were doing, but just by caring about me, leaving snacks and wishing me a good day before you left for work.  
Just by being you! You gave me enough power to get up and about in month!”

The goddess of the hearth shook her head, laughing, before turning to Eliza again.

“I don’t think I can ever thank-you enough for that.”  
Hestia finished before getting up to give Eliza another hug.

“Well, you are most welcome, darling.” Eliza replied.  
“And you are welcome to stay here too, both of you!” The mother said addressing them both.

This caused the sisters to practically glow with gratitude.

Eliza beamed back at them, before checking her watch and sighing.

“It’s getting very late unfortunately, and you two may be immortal, but I’m sure we’ll all feel better for some sleep. We can continue this tomorrow.” The mother said before standing as the other two nodded in agreement.

Eliza went to gather up the dishes to get them clean, before Hestia stopped her, holding up a hand. The red-headed girl grinned slyly before waving her hand, causing the dishes to disappear.  
Somehow Eliza was certain they were now stacked in the cupboards, clean and dry. She raised an eyebrow at the girl before saying “Now _that_ is handy”, causing the sisters to laugh.

Eliza set the two girls up in the guest room, figuring she could talk to her daughters about moving some things around if something more permanent was needed. Another hand wave fixed the broken flooring, though Eliza gave Heather a pointed look, indicating she was going to be questioned about that and getting a nervous chuckle out of the goddess.

Eliza gave the older(? That was going to confuse her, she just knew it) deity some toiletries she kept spare in the house, before giving both of them a hug goodnight.

“Sleep well girls! I’ll see you in the morning” she said warmly as she let them go.

“Goodnight Eliza! We love you!” The goddesses said in tandem, smiling brightly at her.

Briefly shocked by this declaration, Eliza then chuckled before replying  
“Love you too girls,” causing the pair’s smiles to somehow brighten.

Eliza bid them goodnight again, then made her way to bed, were she lay in it.

Her mind was buzzing with the revelation around Heather, let alone finally meeting her sneaky Guest.  
She sighed before snuggling further under the covers.

_It’s good to have guests in the house._

_Maybe even family_ , she pondered as she drifted off.

................

The sisters lay awake, staring at the ceiling, before Heather turned to her big sister.

“She really has no idea, does she?”she said, saying it as more of statement.

Hestia chuckled. “Nope. None at all. And we all but told her too!” she replied, making the pair chuckle.

Heather shook her head in disbelief before sighing  
“Her love, it’s just so _strong_!” the former queen said with awe in her voice.

“She’s giving us so much strength, just by caring for us!”

Her sister nodded in fervent agreement.  
  
Hestia had seen the strength of this affection over the course of the night.  
When Eliza had welcomed them into her home, when she had said that she _loved_ them, the bright mist, the power of her affection and faith had settled around the mother’s shoulders, almost solid, like a cloak, and in the process had filled the little goddess with such power, she had had to actively stop herself glowing.

So much power in that love, and the mother still had plenty to spare!

“You know what we should do?” Heather said, turning to her sister, who cocked an eyebrow in response.

“Oh, what’s that?”

“We should share! How many of the others are out there do you think? Right on the edge of waking up?”

Heather said, excitedly, and Hestia soon joined her in this.

“Our sisters, at least!” The little goddess said said brightly before stopping and frowning, and saying,

“You know we’re going to have to protect her right? She’s too strong. Eliza is an absolute gold mine of power, and she has no idea that she has it, let alone how to use it.”

Heather paused at this before nodding.

“You’re right. So, that’s the plan, find the others, and protect Eliza?”  
Her older sister nodded firmly, a determined look on her face.

“Deal!” Hestia said before chuckling.

“Eliza wasn’t wrong though. Could use a nap. Turns out reforming from the aether takes it out of you,” the little goddess continued before yawning and snuggling into the blankets

“Goodnight little sis, love you.”  
“Goodnight big sis, love you too”

Heather mumbled in reply before quickly drifting off, happy to finally be with her family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First big exposition dump, hopefully it was palatable.  
> This should clear up a couple of the questions you might have had :)
> 
> Next chapter is a recap of Heather's story, with some perspective from her time as Hera to taste.
> 
> Thanks again for all the love and comments! Seriously makes my day <3


	9. Death and Rebirth (Pt. 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We hear Heather's side of the story and (some) of what it implies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CW: Mentions of cheating and rape typical of Greek Mythology

**Chapter 9: Death and Rebirth (Pt. 2)**

The next morning saw the three of them meeting for breakfast, and Eliza smiled at the girls, watching them as they ate in the early morning light as it bathed the room.

Heather, apparently the former queen of the gods, was to all appearances a young adult. She had acted exactly like the student she was that morning, stumbling zombie-like into the kitchen with a groan of “Coffee!” wearing a pair of Alex’s old jeans and a too-large hoodie.

On acquiring said beverage, the younger goddess had piled it with sugar and just a drop of milk to cool it and chugged it with every sign of enjoyment, before looking at the mother over the edge of her cup with a sleepy grin. Her luscious brown hair fell in messy waves over her shoulders and face, and her bright (if sleepy) eyes peered through her tresses as consciousness filtered in.

Hestia on the other hand, showed every sign of being a morning person, and had danced into the room with a light step and bright smile on her face. Her shorter copper red locks had bounced from her neck and shoulders, while her heart shaped face was framed by a pair of delicate braids, keeping her hair out of her almost black eyes which twinkled in that gentle morning light. The elder goddess wore the same deep red sundress Eliza had first seen her in yesterday, and she had greeted the mother with a bright “Good morning Eliza!” before seeing to her own breakfast.

Eliza had had to stop herself laughing at the contrast as she finished cooking up the pancakes and had greeted both with “Good morning my darlings!” and a hug.  
These girls were rapidly becoming _her_ girls, something that had caused her to pause for a moment.  
Well, she had asked for company hadn’t she? Even if she could just barely recall it. Eliza couldn’t bring herself to regret it though, watching them bicker and laugh as they ate.  
They clearly loved each other, and brought warmth to the house in a way that had been missing for years now, barring the visits of her daughters (elder daughters? She’d figure it out in good time she guessed).  
Eliza hadn’t missed the implication that more of their family, more _gods_ , might show up in time either, though it’s likely the pair thought they had managed to sneak it past her, she thought, grinning internally. No, raising a super-powered teenager and someone who would later be the Director of a covert agency had made Eliza into some strange combination of professional juggler, contract lawyer and prosecution attorney in terms of skill set. Slipping something past her with quick words and attempting to gloss it over or distract her was now all but impossible.

Though her new girls didn’t have to learn that just yet, she thought.

After breakfast, the three of them settled down in the lounge, enjoying the warmth of the fire and each others company. Well, two of them did, Eliza noted, looking at the former queen of the gods.

She could feel Heather’s anxiety, the tension rolling off the brunette in waves as she fought to barely contain her fidgeting. The girl would make herself sick at this rate, Eliza thought, seeing her cheeks growing more pale over time.

“Heather,” Eliza said gently, the sudden break in the silence causing the goddess to jump with a small squeak, which in turn caused her older sister to snicker.

Eliza frowned briefly at Hestia, who smiled and stopped.

The mother turned back to the taller of the two. “Heather, I know you’re nervous honey, and I know we said we would discuss your circumstances today. But we can hold off if we need to. It’s not urgent is it?” Eliza ask gently.

Heather sighed heavily before replying. “No, it’s not urgent. But I’d rather get it out of the way.

The sooner it’s done, the sooner I can move past it.”

This caused the two other women to smile encouragingly at her, Hestia moving from her spot to snuggle into her sister’s side, while Eliza held her hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze.  
The younger sister closed her eyes briefly, savoring the comfort in their touch and presence, before opening them again, her determination firming.

“Best get started then. No time like the present,” she noted with a wry smile.

“So, I’m gonna say my piece, and if you have any questions you can ask them at the end, is that all right? This is going to be hard enough without interruptions, and if I stop I might not be able to start again.” Receiving nods in agreement, Heather steeled herself and began.

“So as we may have mentioned, we are gods. Hestia is the Goddess of the Hearth, fire and family and the peace of home are her domains.” At this the little goddess lit the tip of a finger on fire, then blew it out like a smoking barrel of her finger-gun, this time with real smoke causing Eliza to chuckle and her sister to smile.

“As for myself, I am..... or was, Hera, Queen of the Gods, and my domains are, or at least were, women, marriage, family and childbirth. I say this is past tense because something has changed, though I’m not sure what yet,” she commented with a nervous smile.

The goddess ran her fingers through her hair before continuing.

“I was Queen of the Gods. And Zeus, or as you know him ‘Zach,’ was the King, my husband.

Our union began as something of a political marriage after we had killed Kronos, our father, and contained the rest of the titans. To stabilize Zeus’s rule, and prevent infighting with our siblings.  
In time I loved him, or thought I did.” Heather paused at this, eyes misty, lost in aeons past.

Eliza, listening intently, noticed how her tone changed, becoming more formal as she spoke of her history.

“I still do, I think. But even back then, it was not always a happy marriage.

It had it’s moments, to be sure, and Zeus sure knew how to spoil a girl. He gave me a tree that grew golden apples that could grant immortality as a wedding present, and set a giant many headed dragon called Ladon to guard it.  
Ladon was such a sweetheart. Loved a leg of lamb and belly rubs”

Eliza smiled as she watched Heather happily talk about her old pet, then froze as something occurred to her. She had been doing a little research on the Ancient Greek Gods after the revelations yesterday, and had read summaries of several of the major stories.

Golden apples.

The trials of Heracles.

_Oh no._

Heather smiled sadly as she watched the mother’s expression freeze before flickering between sorrow, rage and disgust, before finally settling on a heart-breaking sympathy.

“And now we come to the reason behind much of the unhappiness in our marriage.”  
Heather’s face was resigned and her voiced turned bitter as she spoke.

“That same tree and dragon was used in one of Heracles’ infamous trials. Heracles himself was just one of Zeus’s bastards, one of many resulting from his cheating, though admittedly one that stood out after a fashion. Heracles. For the glory of Hera, a name my husband gave him to try and appease me. What a joke.”  
Eliza could see tears forming in Heather’s eyes, and moved beside her, hugging the scorned goddess.

Heather buried herself in the mother’s arms, their warmth and soft strength comforting her against the poison of the memory.

After a moment, the goddess pulled back and took a sip of her drink before continuing.

“I’m not proud of how I treated Zeus’s children of other mothers, nor how I treated those mothers.  
Many such children were the result of Zeus’s rape and deception, and it was not their crime to bear.”

She said, her voice young yet laden with ancient regret.

“But I was so _angry_ , and as much as I may have wanted to, the world itself may not have survived the result of any true conflict between my cheating husband and I, nor any civil war resulting from the fallout. So I vented my rage on those least deserving of it, sparing the world in turn and only ruining the victims. Both them, and myself.”

she said, the goddess's voice bearing an eternity of sorrow.

“And leaving him was never an option, not really.”

Noting Eliza’s curious look at this statement, the goddess smiled faintly.  
 _Ever the scientist,_ she thought fondly. _Always needs to know why._

“See, as one of my domains was marriage, nothing short of a true death could part us. To divorce him would be to incite a civil war on Olympus, and to part with a piece of myself.

While we Gods may have great influence over our domains,” The brunette explained, taking on a lecturing tone. “Our domains are in turn a part of us, making up a great part of our essence.  
They are our mirror, and anything effecting one will in turn affect the other.

Divorcing for me would have basically been the same as cutting off both my arms, and maybe a leg for good measure.”She said bitterly.

“And then, we died. And we were pretty damn dead at that, as my sister mentioned,” Heather said with a nod to her big sister who grinned in reply.

“Then the my back-stabbing son, the God of War, got dead in turn and something like a month ago I woke up. Thanks for that by the way”

The goddess shot a grateful look to Eliza, who blushed before a waving a hand dismissively. It still hadn’t really set in that she was somehow responsible for the waking of several deities, and the implications of this were something the scientist was stubbornly avoiding thinking about.

“I woke up beside my long time partner,” Heather continued. “But I knew right away something was wrong. I knew that I had been with him for what felt like forever, and that he and his father ran a growing resort empire together, you may have heard of it, Saturn Inc.?”

Eliza nodded at this. The company had been expanding into Midvale with some seaside timeshares over the last 6 months. The township was pretty optimistic about the effects of more tourism in the area, though Eliza held some doubts.

“Well, I knew that they had been working to grow the company for years. It even has the paperwork to prove it, I checked! However, I also knew that the company had shown up overnight. I knew this because I knew that _I_ had shown up overnight, and so had my partner and father.”

As Heather paused a moment to let this sink in, Eliza realised something else, and Heather chuckled as what the goddess had been saying dawned on her.

“I wondered if you might catch that. Yes, I’ve been saying ‘partner’.”

Heather grinned triumphantly.

“We died, and the oath of our marriage held until ‘to death do us part,’ which is normally exceedingly binding for immortals.  
But we had a new life, so we weren’t married any more.

I had a _choice!”_

Heather’s voice was powerful at this, her voice joyful, ringing firmly through the room.

She paused for a moment before becoming pensive.

“I hadn’t really realised it at the time. I spent the next weeks as a dutiful girlfriend.”

Her face fell, torn with regret, before contorting into a snarl.

“That bastard even had the balls to cheat on me in that time! And like an idiot I let him!” the goddess raged, while her Eliza and her sister looked on with pained expressions.

“I knew better, and I just... forgave him. Like he didn’t betray me, like it wasn’t something that goes against everything I’ve ever stood for...”

The rage had turned to tears now, and her listeners held her close, Eliza drying her tears with her sleeve, murmuring comforting words

“Then there was the nail in the coffin. I went to his work to surprise him with coffee. As I walked in I knew something was wrong. I remember the look on the employees faces.  
They all knew. Some of them were just worried for there jobs, and others must have thought I was in on it. Others were smug, like they had _experience._ ” Heather said snarling.

“The bastard was going at it with his PA when I arrived and his PA was looking at him like the sun shone out his arse. She can have him, they deserve each other!” the goddess all but spat.

Taking a moment to calm herself, Heather turned to Eliza before smiling.

“Then we fought, and I left, and he followed. We yelled at each other, he grabbed my arm, and then something amazing happened” The brunette grinned at the mother.

Heather paused for a moment, before seeming to make a decision and said:

“This blond-haired, brilliant, lab-coat-wearing goddess-in-her-own-right shows up out of nowhere and sprays half a can of super strength mace right in his smug little face.”

Eliza was blushing furiously at this point.

“You saved me Eliza. No powers, half his size, maybe a third of his weight, and you saw a woman in trouble and just every-so-calmly dealt with it. And I can never thank you enough.” Heather said softly before pulling the mother into a crushing hug.

Eliza smiled down at her, hugging her and rubbing her back before saying,

“You are most welcome darling. I’d do it again in a heartbeat.”

Heather pulled back, smiling widely.

“There was one other thing you did that I have to thank-you for.” Heather said solemnly.

“When we finally introduced ourselves, I called myself Heather. And you accepted that”

The goddess held up a hand to silence her as she went to speak, undoubtedly to dismiss the gesture.

“Names have power, Eliza. They have meaning. You let me call myself Heather, and in accepting it, in believing that was my name, you changed me, though I didn’t know it at the time.  
I no longer have any tie to my old name, though I would prefer if no one said it around me, or at all for that matter.  
I knew myself as her, all my faults and glories, and I was always a kept person. _Owned_.”

The younger goddess spoke seriously now, authority radiating in her tone.

“As Heather, I don’t know who I am, what that name means. But I am my own person, and I have you to thank for that. So thank-you, Eliza. Thank-you.”

Eliza was still for a second, awed by the sincerity and sheer gratitude in her beneficiaries voice, before pulling the other woman into another hug.

“Well, to be sure I had no idea what I was doing, but I’m glad you like it. Would you like to know what Heather means?” At the pair of goddesses furiously nodding, Eliza continued.

“In the language of flowers it has different meanings depending on colour. Pink heather means good luck. White heather is for protection. And purple heather? It means beauty and solitude. I think it’s a good name for you.” she finished with a smile.

“Yeah it suits you sis!” Piped up Hestia from her corner of the cuddle pile

Heather looked thoughtful at this, before perking up, looking hopeful.

“Beauty, protection, good luck and solitude, huh? I like it.”

................

The rest of the day passed in a blur after that, with nothing more eventful than watching some movies (“We have a lot to catch up on” Heather explained as Hestia made up large bowls of popcorn) and a delicious dinner of roast beef, made by Eliza and Hestia together at last, working seamlessly while Heather watched fondly from the sideline.

That night after saying goodnight to Eliza, the sisters lay in bed for a while before Hestia turned to Heather before speaking.

“You know, you’ve done something you can’t take back.” She said seriously.

Names had power. So did titles.

Heather nodded before realising her sister wouldn’t see it and said,

“Yeah I know. But I don’t regret it, and I’d do it again.”

The older sister smiled. “Didn’t think you would. Just making sure. Although.... if it’s Eliza...”

Heather smiled and nodded. “Yeah, if it’s Eliza....”

“.....She might have eventually got there all by herself.”

Hestia finished, sounding pleased before rolling over to sleep with a shared “’night sis, love you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope that gives you guys some perspective!  
> Next chapter is one I've been looking forward to posting as I introduce a character I'm growing to love :D  
> Tempted to post it now, but I really have to keep up a buffer as my writing has been slowing down some.  
> Thanks again for the kudos and wonderful comments, they seriously make my day <3  
> Stay safe out there, weather from COVID-19 or in your protests, and I wish you all the very best of luck regardless!


	10. On A Frozen Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eliza ponders some changes of the changes to her life after a long shift, and her drive home is more eventful than planned.

**Chapter 10: On a Frozen Night**

Several weeks had passed, and winter had well and truly set in. Eliza shivered as she stepped into the frigid air, and held her coat closer, grateful for the new gloves and scarf Hestia had knit her. The bright street lights reflected off the foot of snow that had fallen during her shift, adding to the several feet beneath it and providing a stark contrast to the black cloudless sky above. For all the winter air bit at her, Eliza smiled as enjoyed the silent night. There was a peace to it, a stillness as the world slept, waiting for the meager gift of sunlight in a few hours time.

The tired scientist watched her breath mist in front of her as she walked toward the her car, playing the ages old game of imagining she was a dragon, chuckling at the thought of her breath melting a snowman. Having the girls in her home had put a spring in her step, and had reignited that spark of her spirit that was slowly choking under the monotony of her work and complete lack of personal life. This fire in her spirit had not been missed by her colleagues, several of them indicating a renewed interest in spending time with her. Eliza chuckled as she unlocked her car, thinking of one person in particular. A new technician had started flirting with her, subtly, unlike many of Eliza’s colleagues.

What was different about this one was.... well, everything.

For starters, they were a she, something that would have gone completely under Eliza’s radar only a handful of years back. After Alex and Kara had come out to Eliza at one particularly memorable Thanksgiving as lesbian and pansexual respectively, Eliza had put in a lot of research hours into anything and everything revolving around sexuality and gender identity, which led her to seeing relationships around her of all kinds in a new light.

The doctor didn’t think she would have noticed at all before that Thanksgiving, and she found herself appreciating the new technician’s advances.

It didn’t hurt that she was, objectively speaking, spectacularly beautiful, in a way that made Eliza’s pulse race in a way it hadn’t in she couldn’t remember how long. The technician, a platinum blond with a body that would make modelling agencies sit up and beg by the name of Amara, had taken to finding Eliza on her lunch breaks (or whatever passed for them, her schedule being what it is). The gorgeous woman had a soft, sultry smile and deep, silky voice, and yet spent time with the older woman, getting to know her. Eliza wasn’t blind to the blond’s tactics, having used them in the past herself.

Soft smiles and brushing touches. Easing the target into your presence.

Yet Eliza couldn’t help but be flattered by the attention, and thought that if she were to discover an attraction to the fairer sex, Amara seemed like a promising candidate. All of that aside, the younger woman was genuinely good company, Eliza thought as she drove to the nearest Wafflehouse (so sue her, she had just had a 14 hour shift and she was hungry and was craving something unhealthy she didn’t have to make. She figured Hestia would understand, given the goddess's response to Eliza bringing home doughnuts the other day). The technician was intelligent and opinionated, with a love of romance novellas and trashy romcoms, and a flirty, sarcastic wit that had Eliza chuckling hours after the fact.

Even if the flirting fades when the age difference sets in, Eliza thought as she pulled into the car-park, it would be worth it to gain another friend.

  
Eliza entered the Wafflehouse and breathed deeply, the eternally open breakfast joint awash with the smell of frying breakfast foods. Her thoughts swam with nostalgia, remembering her student days and 3am bacon runs, remembering late-night dates and morning runs with Jeremiah, remembering visits with her girls, remembering, remembering. Shaking her head from the clouds, Eliza was soon seated with her plate of breakfast goodness late at night, which she proceeded to enjoy, humming contentedly between mouthfuls. Soon enough she was finished but something made her hesitate before leaving.

_Do I have enough food in the car? What about warm coats and blankets, towels for drying?  
And why do I care that weather or not I have these things?_

The mother shook herself. There were people waiting for her at home. And so were any supplies she needed for...... something. She could make sure the car was stocked with whatever was needed for... things when she got there. The scientist shook her head again, deciding she was just tired, and should really get to bed quickly. But this line of thought led her to buying a bag of churros and a packet of chocolate sauce, thinking that at the least they wouldn’t be wasted as the girls at home were sure to enjoy them.

Eliza took her bag and left the restaurant, making her way to her vehicle, hunching her shoulders at the fresh flurries of snow falling with the icy sea breeze. Getting in quickly, Eliza went into autopilot, turning on the AC, belting in and leaving the car park.

She had driven halfway home when it happened.

Her mind fogged with exhaustion as she waited at the traffic light, Eliza blinked her heavy eyes as the light switched to green. As she drove through the intersection, a truck horn sounded close by, the monstrous noise startling her awake and causing her hands to jerk the wheel with the fright.

The blonde’s mind seemed to sharpen in that moment, giving her what felt like forever to see everything going wrong. Her yanking the wheel had taken her off course towards the centre line, and her automatic attempt to correct this had caused the vehicle to over-correct, hitting a patch of gravel and salt, and ice in spite of these road treatments. Slamming on the breaks slowed the vehicle, but failed to stop it as the wheels lost their grip and the car turned off the road, barreling into a heavy snow bank bordering a pine grove.

Then, silence, the sound of the horn echoing in her mind.

Eliza was well and truly awake now.

Her heart pounded as the adrenaline kicked in, and she took a few moments to swear aggressively at whatever single brain-celled ass-hat had sounded a gods-damned freight truck horn in the middle of town _at four fucking A.M_.

Eliza didn’t usually like to swear, but she had been to college and knew all the words, so would make an exception for this.

It was a blessing that it hadn’t been a full blown crash, no other cars or property involved, and the air-bags hadn’t even deployed.

After a few deep breaths, Eliza turned the engine on again and attempted to back out, and growled in frustration as she heard the wheels spin the snow into a slurry of ice and mud.

“Well, that’s just fantastic,” she muttered sarcastically.

At least she was warm in here as the engine still ran fine, but the scientist knew she would need to check the damage, and take pictures for insurance just in case. And of course she had left the snow-chains in the garage, having been meaning to put them in the boot for at least a week but failing to as the snow hadn’t picked up, and when it was she was too damned distracted to remember, what with learning to live with a pair of goddesses.

Thinking of her housemates, Eliza pulled out her phone and called home.

After some 5 minutes of tense waiting, the phone was answered.

“Hello?” said a very sleepy Heather. “Danvers residence.” Eliza smiled at her voice.

Poor woman must have been woken up. “Hi sweety, just calling to let you know I’ve been delayed home a bit. I’ve had a bit of an accident driving home,” Eliza rushed out, hearing Heather’s breathing pick up as what the blonde was saying kicked in.

“Are you-?”

“I’m fine dear. Some idiot used a truck horn in the middle of town startling me and I hit some ice and drove into a snowbank. I’m fine, and I even think the car is fine, though I’m going to take pictures to make sure.”

Heather sighed loudly in relief

“OK, good. Don’t do that to me!” the goddess said crossly, now much more alert.

“I’m sorry to worry you darling. I just thought you should know, I might be delayed home as the car is stuck. Will probably need to get a truck to pull it out.”

“OK, thanks for letting me know. I’ll tell Hestia if she’s up before you’re back. Stay warm ok?”

“Thanks Heather. I will. You go back to sleep darling. Love you!”

“Love you too” said the tired goddess with a yawn, before hanging up.

Eliza chuckled before sighing and starting to pull on her hat and gloves and wrapping her coat tightly around her.

The tired mother opened the door, leaning against it to push against the packed snow and stepping out swiftly, closing the door quickly behind her to trap whatever heat she could inside. She circled around the vehicle, and frowned at the sight of the full nose of the car buried in the bank, the front wheels buried to the wheel house. The back half wasn’t much better, the wheels buried in a mud and snow slushy.

Yup, towing it is.

Eliza pulled out her phone and took a few photos, struggling to focus the camera against the glaring snow and street lights. As she went to take one last picture of the front from a different angle to record the accident, something caught her eye, making her pan her camera towards the treeline.

Focusing the lens, she saw it: a bare triangle of dirtied skin under the cover of what on second glance looked like pine branches woven skilfully into a shelter.

_That’s not enough,_ she somehow knew. _Not tonight. They’ll freeze to death._

The mother was at the shelter before she had realised she had moved.

Cautiously, Eliza parted the opening of the shelter before speaking softly.

“Hello? I’m sorry to intrude on your shelter. My name is Eliza.”

As the mother’s eyes adjusted to the shadow of the trees, the persons features pulled into view.

Crouched with their back against a tree was a child, no older than 13 at the most.

They wore what must have once been a fine winter outfit, green and grey, complete with coat, fingerless gloves and thick pants. They must have once cost a fortune, and some of that quality carried over to the present as they were still intact after having withstood a great deal of abuse. Fraying, with a few cuts and some unskilled patching of the knees and elbows, but still intact regardless.

The same could not be said for the wearer.

Whatever the state the child had been in prior to sleeping rough, they were not doing as well now.  
The child (Eliza had no clue as to the potential gender, so child would do for now) had a ragged head of thick auburn hair, matted in places and littered with pine needles and leaf mulch.  
Beneath this wild tangle was a pair of piercing amber eyes, glaring up at Eliza above a wild snarl.  
Their hands showed much of their time spent outdoors, dirty with minor cuts and grazed knuckles.  
Hands that were, in fact, gripping a large slingshot aimed at Eliza’s face, loaded with what looked in this light to be a large ball-bearing.  
Eliza raised her hands slowly, and slipped from her crouch into a kneeling position, sitting on her heels.

“Woah there! Woah. It’s OK, I’m not here to hurt you. I’m here to help,” Eliza said slowly, keeping her voice calm and level.

The child’s eyes narrowed and snarl grew deeper, a low growl coming from their lips.

_OK, wrong thing to say apparently_ , Eliza thought. Clearly they’d had a bad experience with people trying to ‘help’ before.

“Look, I get you don’t know me, and don’t trust me. And that’s fair. But it is far too cold out here tonight,” Eliza said, her teeth beginning to chatter.

Even now, beneath her layers the bitter cold bit her skin. She didn’t know exactly how cold it was, but she knew it was certainly enough to kill, or at the very least injure.

“I have a car, just over there. It’s stuck right now, but I’ll be calling a tow truck soon to get it out, and in the meantime it’s warm. I’ve even got blankets in there, maybe even a swimming towel to dry you off,” the mother said keeping her eyes on the child’s hands. The cold would be sapping their strength, and with the size of that slingshot, they would only be able to maintain the pull for so long.

A sudden thought rose in Eliza’s mind, like dawn breaking.

“I know you haven’t eaten in a while,” she said with a confidence that surged through her bones.

“The hunting will be slim around here, and what little there is won’t have much meat on it.  
And I have some fresh churros in the car, like straight doughnuts with sugar and cinnamon,” Eliza said, answering the child’s unspoken question, only a slight tilt of their head indicating their curiosity.

“I bought them as a surprise for my girls at home, but we don’t need them.”

Eliza slowly drew her head up to look the child in the eye.

“Not like you do.”

The child’s expression froze, before their numbed fingers gave out, both hands jerking with the sudden release.

The child’s face slowly morphed to horror as Eliza felt a chill pain across her cheek, before feeling a bruising pain and liquid drip down here face. Sure enough, Eliza raise her hand to her face and it came away red, the touch making her hiss in pain.

_Not ideal,_ Eliza thought as she held her glove to the grazed wound, _but could definitely have been worse_ , the doctor’s mind showing her pictures of ER shifts involving slingshots and metal ammunition.

The child looked panicked now, but Eliza hurried to reassure them.

“It’s OK, honestly it’s OK. I know you didn’t mean to hurt me,” the mother said with a smile.

The wild child still looked stricken, but nodded slowly in response.

“I’m going to go to the car OK? Them I’m going to call the tow truck, grab the churros, and bring them here. Is that OK?”

Watching the child nod slowly, clearly still distrusting but relieved at the lack of aggression. Eliza smiled gently at the wildling, before backing out of the shelter slowly, joints creaking a little in the cold as she rose to her feet before going to her entrenched car.

Once inside the car (the blessedly warm car) Eliza took a moment took a moment, rubbing her hands together to get feeling back, her mind wandering over the last hour or so.

_Now I know what I needed blankets, towels and food for,_ she thought, a little dazed at the turn of events.

_But_ _**how** _ _did I know?_

Eliza knew she was tired, and dying for a warm shower (or maybe a bath at this point, good Gods she had earned it ( _Gods? When did that become plural?_ )).

She shook her head, thoughts blurry, layering and weaving between each other.

Keep it simple. Wonder about sudden prescience tomorrow, after a bath and some sleep.  
And maybe a hot chocolate.

An Irish hot chocolate.

The pain in her cheek helped Eliza clear her head, and she was able to get moving again. Grabbing her phone, she used it to call a 24hour towing service, using the car’s over-prepared first aid kit to clean and cover her wounded cheek while it rang on speaker. Finally getting through, the mother informed them of what had happened and where she was, before digging around in the back seat and the car’s trunk, readying whatever she thought the stray might need.  
Steeling herself for the cold, Eliza gathered up her offering of fried doughy goodness and stepped out of the car, stomping across the snow to the child’s woven shelter.

Eliza slowed once more before crouching again and calling to them.

“It’s Eliza,” she said, fully aware that they would have watched her every step of the way.  
“I’m coming in OK? I brought the churros for you.”

The child had been waiting for them, and still looked on the verge of bolting at any moment, but they had stayed, either because of the offer of food or Eliza’s unexpected forgiveness.

Either way the mother was grateful, as she observed the child’s rigid posture and mask of stoicism.

Eliza smiled up at the child, once more kneeling and showing them her hands.

“Hi. I brought the food as promised. I brought chocolate sauce too,” she said as she held out the gift of fried treats and chocolate sauce, before carefully putting them on the ground and backing away. The child watched her closely for a moment, before inching towards the offering.

As soon as the bag was in reach, they grabbed it and darted back, as though terrified the gift was a trap. Eliza’s heart fell, observing the caged and weary behaviour of the stray, and the way they sniffed at and inspected the food closely, before gorging themselves with the fervour of the starved.

Life had been cruel to them, that much was apparent, and Eliza could only pray they could help them. The sight of the child lapping furiously at the now empty sauce container to obtain every drop of its content would be comical if not for it’s implications.

Having finished their meal, the wildling had gone back to observing Eliza, only cautiously now, without the glint of fear in their obscured features. The mother in turn had returned to her previous place near the entrance and was smiling gently at the child’s muddy chest, careful not to make eye contact. Something told her that would be a bad idea if she wanted to be on their good side.

“I’m glad you enjoyed it little one. I realised we haven’t introduced each other properly. My name is Eliza, and I’m a doctor, and mother of two girls, though that looks to be changing,” the mother said with a chuckle.

“Is there anything I can call you?” Eliza said, flicking her eyes up to the child’s mouth, looking for a reaction.

A few seconds pass, the icy breeze making them seem like short eternities as she waited for a response. Eventually, the child’s mouth frowns slightly, before their hand moves up to their chest, where ragged nails scratched away some layers of the soil. Slowly, as if it had been methodically, deliberately, concealed with earth, the edge of a patch was revealed, showing a crescent moon in silver thread. After revealing it, the child pointed too the moon deliberately.

Eliza narrowed her eyes in confusion, wondering if she was missing something.

“A moon. You want me to call you a moon?”she said, risking a glance up at their face, and saw that they were shaking their head.

“Ok, not the moon. Something related to the moon?” she asked, and was met by a firm nod.

At this Eliza paused for a moment. She had spent a good while researching names over the years, both for her daughter and for the children of friends, and her exhausted mind stirred for as names flashed across it, nothing feeling quite right until...  
“How about.... Phoebe? It means moonlight, more or less,” the blond proposed. The child took a moment to deliberate, her impassive face tightening somehow in thought, before finally she smiled, the newly dubbed Phoebe’s face lighting up as they nodded vigorously.

Her smile was dazzling, a sunrise after a greyed and stormy sky, lighting up the girl’s face.

And a girl she was, at least in body, Eliza thought, wondering how she had missed it, before recalling the layers of thick clothes, ragged hair and dirt of living outdoors. The mother was dazed for a moment, before clearing her head. Eliza smiled back at the girl, privately admitting that it was now a mission in her life to see the child’s smile as often as possible.

“Nice to meet you Phoebe. Now, I know you still don’t really know me, but I really think we should both get in the car. I can see your hands going blue, and I can almost feel frostbite setting in for me.”The huntress frowned in thought, then sighed, the exhale stark in the chill air before nodding again.

Eliza smiled at the girl, before standing from her crouch and saying, “Best move then.”

The mother moved into the open and motioned the child forward.

Phoebe followed and made the first few steps out into the open before stumbling, and under the street lights Eliza could see why: the little hunter, while clearly strong-willed, was beyond exhausted, with bruised purple bags under her eyes, and her battered body simply did not want to carry her through the deep snow. Seeing this, Eliza moves quickly, moving to the girl and lifting her in fireman’s carry, only receiving a slight grunt from the tired form as the mother’s shoulder forces the air form her lungs as she is carried through the heavy snow to the car. Using her forearms and booted feet to clear the snow, Eliza wrenches open the passenger seat door, allowing Phoebe to fall through it into the seat beyond. Eliza quickly follows the girl into the car, before hauling the prepared handful of blankets into the front seat. Even with the warmth of the car, the doctor in her knew she had to word fast to ensure the child’s safety.

“Phoebe, I need you to stay awake OK? Can you do that honey?”Eliza asked the wildling, her voice concerned.

In the warmth of the car, Phoebe’s body had started to shiver horribly as her body caught up, trying to heat itself frantically with muscle spasms. A scratchy moan passed the girls lips as sensation started returning to her extremities, but she was eventually able to nod at the older women leaning over her.

“We need to get you warmed up. Can you help me take this coat off you so we can get you dry?” Again Phoebe replied with a nod.

The next few minutes were consumed with removing child’s ragged garments off of her and drying

them, before Eliza opened her coat wide, put a few blankets as a cushion and snuggled the girl’s frozen frame into her breast, before closing her large coat around the child and wrapping them both in the blankets. _Not ideal by any stretch_ , Eliza thought, still worried for the girl.

Normally, with the AC, a coat, and blankets, Eliza should be almost sweating, even with the deathly chill outside, but Phoebe’s body was like an icicle taped to her front, and she hoped that what she’d done was enough.

“I told you I have daughters, yes? Would you like to hear about them?” Eliza asked, hoping to distract the girl and keep her awake.

The mother felt her newest charge nod against her chest, so started to regale her with tales from their childhood, ones that would no doubt cause the pair a great deal of embarrassment and succeeded in pulling a soft chuckle from the tired form.

Soon enough, the tow truck arrived and pulled the car out of the drift, allowing Eliza to drive the dead-on-their-feet mother and her charge home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please welcome Phoebe!  
> I'm been looking forward to posting this and the next chapter, hope you guys enjoy!  
> As always, many thanks for the kudos and comments and all the love <3


	11. The Mother Bear Wakes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The extent of Phoebe's injuries is made apparent, and something in Eliza wakes, angry as hell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CW: Evidence of child abuse/injuries, examples of abusive speech and thought patterns.

**Chapter 11: The Mother Bear Wakes**

On arriving home, Eliza helped the girl out of the car and into the house, where the mother shed her her coat with a sigh of relief, the warmth of Hestia’s fire washing over them, a balm to contrast the stark cold outside. After aiding Phoebe's stiff form out of her coat in turn the mother walked the girl to the bathroom, saying,

“A nice warm shower should take the chill off, and make you feel nice and clean. Would you like that?”

The small huntress looked at Eliza, then back at her cloths, pulling at a muddy sleeve with a small frown.

The doctor had noticed the girl’s lack of speech, but that was something to worry about later, tomorrow perhaps. In the meantime, Eliza was just grateful that Phoebe at least seemed to understand English, thinking back to when Kara first arrived.

“I’m sure I can find something around here in your size, and if not, maybe something just comfortable to sleep in until I can get these washed for you. Does that sound alright?”

The mother kept her voice gentle and calm, and made sure to ask the child without deciding anything for them. One of the most common forms of neglect, Eliza pondered, was simply taking away a child’s choice on everything, from clothes to meals. The mother had the feeling that Phoebe had experienced a great deal of that in her short life.

Getting a small nod, Eliza went to leave to give the girl some privacy, only to stop after feeling a short tug on the back of her coat. The wild child held the back of Eliza’s top, looking small and frightened as she stared at the ground. The sight made a spike of anger flow through the tired woman.

 _Heavy neglect then, at the least_ , she thought with an internal snarl at the girl’s obvious mistreatment. Eliza knew enough to not want to assume anything, but children of this age do not simply spend the night in a forest at freezing temperatures with no gear or supervision, not unless they think it’s better than the alternative, she thought grimly.

Crouching so her face is level with the auburn haired girl, Eliza smiles gently at her, and waited patiently for her to look up. When she finally does, Phoebe's face is a stony mask, with only the glint of fear in her eyes and the slightest tremor of her lips revealing the depth of her emotion.

“Hey there,” the mother said with a warm smile, which gets a slight smile from the girl in return.

“I was going to go get some clothes and a towel ready for your shower. Would you prefer to come with me or wait here?”

The question seems to throw the girl for a moment, before she tugs once more on Eliza’s jumper.

Interpreting her answer Eliza chuckles a little before saying, “I guess we’ll go get them together then. Shall we?”

Eliza held a hand out for the girl to take, which the girl refused, deciding to hold her sleeve instead. The mother then proceeded to lead the girl from the bathroom to Alex’s room, where a brief consultation in the form of pointing fingers at options led her to take a pair of sweat pants and a band t-shirt to serve as sleep ware. One more stop at the linen cupboard where a towel is selected (moss green) before the two return to the bathroom.

Eliza sets the girl’s choices down before turning to her and asking: “Now, do you want to choose the starting temperature of the water, or should I?”

Again, Phoebe looks more confused at being asked than anything else, but points at Eliza in reply.

“Ok, now one more question. Do you think you will need help getting undressed? I understand if you don’t want it, but I thought your arms might be stiff from being outside in the cold so long.”

The girl stills at this, and takes a long time to reply, something that worries Eliza. Finally, Phoebe reluctantly indicates that help will be needed, and Eliza nods before starting moving.

After getting the water running, the blonde woman assists in removing Phoebe’s stiff and muddy garments where her fears are confirmed, and the mother had to carefully hold in her gasp and the tirade of swearing parading her mind that followed at the sight.

Across the ribs and back of Phoebe's muscular but lean body are a series of bruises, with welt lines at the edges, like from a switch, o _r a belt buckle,_ Eliza thought darkly.

The auburn girl’s movements were stiff, and only the way she way she very carefully didn’t twist her torso showed any indication of pain, her face carefully stoic once more as she climbed into the shower. Phoebe's clearly practised mask made Eliza want to rage and weep. It was the sort of discipline one would expect in soldiers, not a child, which led her to think that the girl had been punished for showing pain, a thought that brought a further dark rage to the mother’s mind.

Then and there, Eliza decided something that had been lurking in her brain since meeting the girl:

She would help this girl, in any and every way she could.

She would help her heal, and be the family she deserved, do as much as the child would allow and more to heal this hurt.

And she would bring justice down on the one’s who hurt her, with every resource at her disposal.

This was one mission Eliza had absolutely no qualms about getting her daughter’s covert ops agency involved in.

She would trade every favour she was owed, put herself in debt a dozen times over, to make the ones who did this pay.

To make the ones who did this **burn.**

................

In the guest room, the sister goddesses stirred in their sleep as a wave of power rushed past them.

Neither woke as their skin began to glow in flickering white and gold, and only a smile of contentedness showed on their face as the pulsing glow grew to light up the room.

................

In the lab, Amara was alone in the lab, preparing the machines for tomorrow’s tests when the wave reached her, making her drop the manual she was holding as the power washed over her.  
The technician looked at her hand and noted the pulsing glow, before finding her compact mirror from her purse nearby.  
In the mirror, her face held the same inhuman light, and her eyes shone a pale pink, causing her to smile wildly, beaming at the sight of some of her godly might showing.

She recognized the power of course, having spent the last week in the woman’s presence.

“Eliza,” the goddess said with a breathy laugh.

With powers like this, anyone would want them on their side. Initially, that had been Amara’s plan too, to seduce the woman and use her strength to fuel her own recovering might. But the mother was just _soooo nice,_ and actually took an interest in her, seeing past her (admittedly stunning, there was no arguing with the facts) looks.

No, now the goddess sought a deeper relationship with the delightful woman, she thought as she smiled into the mirror, sighing as the glow steadily faded, leaving her skin looking brighter, and eyes somehow richer, with just a tint of pink in the right light.

Oh well, time enough for that in the future, Amara thought as she retrieved the manual. These machines aren’t going to prep themselves, she thought with a chuckle.

Oh how her sisters would laugh if they could see me now. Preparing machines and gadgets, getting her hands dirty. Maybe they would see her soon....

................

Across the city, the unknowingly dubbed ‘Zach’ woke in a cold sweat as the wave reached him.

He looked around his penthouse room frantically, causing his PA, what’s her name? Who knows, to groan in her sleep as his shifting disturbed her. All of his senses screamed at him that he was in danger, but there was nothing to show for this until he noticed that his skin was starting to glow a flickering pale gold and white.  
This should have excited him, he knew, as it showed some of his old power running though him, but all he felt was fear.

This proved appropriate, as the flickering light took on more substance and began to burn his skin, making him roar in pain, before staggering to his private bathroom.

“Honey, what’s going on?” his PA said behind him sounding concerned, yet he said nothing as he almost fell into the shower, turning it on full blast.

The water did nothing to stem the burning, flickering light, but it soon faded on its own leaving him on his knees gasping. The former King of the Gods struggled to pull himself upright before looking into his full length mirror still dripping. His PA choked back a scream at the sight of his burnt and scared form, even as the aftermath of the light slowly but visibly healed. Zeus shook with fear and anger at the sight. He was furious that someone had harmed him in such a way, but more than that, he was terrified. Whoever had done this, had done this with but a fraction of their power. It was sloppy, unrefined, but if their power was ever tamed and fully brought down on him, he was doomed.

His face contorted into a fierce scowl around his sky blue eyes even as the last of the burns started to fade, leaving only a rippling pattern across his hands and face.

 _They must perish before they can mature_ , he thought, his mind alight with ways he might make them suffer given the chance.

But first, he must find them.

................

Far away, in National City, a tired, emotionally exhausted, and increasingly angry teacher’s aid was Done.

She was Done with her advisor being a useless narcissist, using her research to raise his own fame.

Done with her department fellows attempts to plagiarize or sabotage her research.

Done with the misogynistic power structure in the university that swallowed her sexual harassment complaints whole without a sound.

Done with her male colleagues that gave her cause to file them in the first place.

And completely and utterly Done with the complaints board that she had finally set up a meeting with (at 8pm of all times) only to only have three of the fucking ten members show up and dismiss her claims out of hand.

Her righteous fury was reaching fever pitch as the wave hit her, and her mind calmed even as her anger boiled. If she was to fight this, she thought, as her grey eyes started to glow in the dim of her office light, she would have to fight _smart_.

Thankfully, planning ahead was something she was good at. She had multiple copies of every complaint form in full across multiple media, including the minutes of any relevant meetings she attended or otherwise, with multiple paper copies and digital copies both on a cloud and on network isolated computers.

She had all the proof she needed, and if the board wouldn’t do anything, it time to pull out the big guns, she thought, going through her contacts.

She had wanted to avoid this as the firm was known for being exceptionally expensive, even among lawyers.

On the other hand, she thought as she found the number she was looking for, this firm was also known for _winning_ , and she had always saved her inheritance trust fund, working her way through undergrad to save the money for something that deserved it.

The glowing-skinned teacher’s aid stared at her phone, hesitating before dialing the number, failing to notice the play of light flowing from her hand in favour of focussing on the screen it held before lifting it to her ear.

 _Damned if this doesn’t fit the bill_ , she thought, chuckling darkly as the phone rang.

“Hello, Troy, Cale, and Sinclair, how may I direct your call?”

“Hello, I would like to speak to Donna Troy as soon as possible please. I am a teacher’s aid at NCU and I have filed grievances including plagiarism and sexual abuse to the board of appeals, only to have met with a bare fraction of the board this evening and have them dismiss it out of hand without right to further appeal.” She spoke rapidly but clearly, her fury having burnt the path she must take clear in her mind.

“I _see._ Well, Ms Troy is with away on business right now, but will certainly be interested in this case, so will be sure to get in contact quickly.”

The exhausted teacher’s aid grinned triumphantly at that. Donna Troy, a founding partner of Troy, Cale and Sinclair was a seven foot tall Amazon warrior with a body that could make anyone, man, woman or other, even remotely interested in sex drenched with lust and she could bench-press a truck to top it off. And yet somehow, even with all that going for her, she was even _more_ powerful in the courtroom.

Large corporations would fight to settle before going to court against a mom-and-pa take-out store with her on their side.

And lose.

“Who am I speaking with for reference?”  
  
“My name is Sophia Tyto.”

“Well, Ms Tyto, you can be sure your case will have Ms Troy’s full attention. Case’s like this are something of a favourite of hers,” the receptionist said with a chuckle.

“Thank-you very much! Any expenses can be billed to account number 2643, and I am contactable at any time.”

“Certainly madam. We will be in touch. May I have your contact details?”

  
Sofia rattled off her phone number and email, and made no effort to conceal her glee even as the glow fades from her skin. This case was all but over, she thought as she hung up, before cackling at the thought of the board’s faces.

................

On the other side of the world, Diana Prince stood on the balcony of her apartment in Paris as the echoes of the wave of power brushed across her skin.  
The Goddess of War and Peace took a moment to look at her hand, noting the faint golden blush of its glow even against her tanned skin. Yet even without this visible sign, she would have felt it.  
The dark haired warrior sighed. Something had produced a wave of divine power strong enough that the echoes were felt far into the distance. Yet she would have know if a God was powerful enough to produce such a thing, or they would have made themselves known.

 _Subtlety_ , she thought wryly, _is not something divine beings are known for._

No, this was not a God, she pondered. It was too raw, even at a distance. But something with enough raw power to become one perhaps? Or maybe a weapon?  
Either way, she thought as she readied her gear and secured the building, it would require her attention.

“Gods help us all if they fall into the wrong hand”, she prayed as she took flight.

................

Back in Midvale, at something stupid o’clock, in the shower of one Eliza Danvers, the newly dubbed Phoebe fought back a shiver as a wave of _something_ flooded the room, almost pining her to the shower wall. Soon the power formed a gold and white fire that danced on her skin, casting shifting rainbows in the shower spray as it healed her wounds.

The small huntress could see the source of this power, _(kind smile, smells of vanilla and cinnamon, warm arms, comfort)_ Eliza, across the room, her eyes bright with power, grey and blond hair taking on a silver sheen as it floated behind her in a loose halo, her bearing powerful, somehow as tall as the trees the child had sheltered in, taller even.

Yet even with this, Phoebe knew it was still _(smell of damp wool, gentle hand brushing hair, tasty churros)_ Eliza.

Nothing had changed.

It was still her.

Everything had changed.

Need to _(Mother bear defending cub, wolves running in a pack)_ help. To Save?

Pheobe fought against the wave, leaning forward into it as if fighting a _(lashing rain, wind shaking trees, lightning rending the sky, a blizzard of snow)_ storm, taking one, two, three steps, still dripping from her shower, even as she stumbled, even as she reached out and grabbed Eliza’s legs.

And just as quickly as the wave had arrived it was gone. A _(snake striking, someone being pulled under by a current)_ riptide of power, gone as quickly as it came.

The kind old woman, blinked for a few moments, a look of _(brain teasers, shell games, mazes)_ confusion on her face, before looking down and seeing her, seeing _(glowing light of a full moon, blood on her blade, trophies of the hunt)_ _**Phoebe**_ _.  
_ And then she smiled.

And spoke words of comfort.

A question.  
Why _(washing mud off in a river, scraping scales from a fish, birds shivering in the dust)_ clean, not?  
Need _(stick to scratch back)_ help?

No.

No _(cat grooming kitten)_ help need.

Soon food. A drink. Warm, spices, _(melting cheese, milking a cow)_ creamy.

Taste good.

A bed.  
Her leaving.

Leave _(wolf crying out sorrowfully, Peacock denied a mate, cub sniffing its dead mother)_ Alone?

No. **No Alone**.

Tears.

( _“Don’t you dare cry! Crying is only for the weak!”_ )

Fear.

( _“I’m not letting some weakling grow in my house, you hear? Never show weakness!”_ )

Pain.

( _“I’ll show you what happens to weaklings!”_ )

Fear of Pain.

Comfort.

Warm arms.

Eliza.

Bed.

Warm arms.

( _Mother guarding cubs, pups, kittens, eggs_ )

Protection.

Safety.

Sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter had some heavier stuff in it, but it seemed important from a narrative perspective to give Eliza that last push.  
> We'll be looking at the consequences of this next chapter.  
> Hope you guys enjoyed Phoebe's perspective, you can expect a bit more of that in the future, as well as the other perspectives shown :)  
> As always, thanks so much for the support, your kudos and comments make my day, even my week sometimes <3


	12. A Masterpiece Uncovered

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eliza wakes to face the day and gets a bit more than she bargained for.

**Chapter 12: A Masterpiece Uncovered**

The following morning, Eliza woke gradually to the rising dawn, thanking anyone listening that she had nothing scheduled for today. The mother lay there appreciating the comfort on her bed, though there was a hard lump sticking into her ribs that she had trouble explaining. Looking down, she saw the figure of the newly dubbed Phoebe, curled into a ball and pressed against her side.  
The girl looked so much smaller than she had yesterday, her vulnerability in sleep belying the stony survivor that Eliza had met and showing the child that could have been, should have been but for whatever circumstances led her to the forest and Eliza’s car in turn.  
Eliza took a moment to run her hand through the girl’s auburn hair, feeling the rough ridges where the huntress must have taken a blade to her hair to tame it.  
The mother sighed, looking down at the sleeping form, worry furrowing her brow.  
Phoebe was so strong, and even in the state Eliza had met her had cut a powerful figure.  
She would grow to be truly formidable, the mother knew this with a bone deep certainty.  
And it had almost been cut off by the callous and cruel actions of the ones supposed to protect her the most.  
Eliza felt a hint of that same anger that had flared when she had first seen the true evidence of the abuse, but it was somehow calmer this time.  
More controlled, honed to a vicious point.

Yes, if the blonde had any say in the matter, this girl was _hers_ now, and come hell or high water, Eliza would protect her, and see justice done to those who harmed her.

The mother smiled down at her newly adopted child (if she had any say in it).

But time enough for that after breakfast. Best try and get ahead of the day while she could.

Eliza got up from the bed, gently untangling herself from Phoebe's clinging limbs, making her way to the shower to give herself that morning wakeup that was often so necessary.  
Though it didn’t seem to be needed this morning.  
She must have slept exceptionally well last night, because Eliza felt _fantastic.  
_ She felt lighter than she had in years, completely the opposite of how she had expected to feel after the events of last night, but she wasn’t about to complain about this.

After the shower, Eliza took a moment to look into the mirror, a small piece of vanity she allowed herself since she had had that steam proof mirror installed all those years ago.  
For the first time in a long time however, Eliza was stopped, frozen by her reflection. The blonde took a moment to stare at what she was seeing.

It clearly wasn’t just feeling great this morning, Eliza was _looking_ great.

Parts of her that had been sagging now stood firm, her muscles clearly defined, and if she wasn’t seeing things, a bit bigger than she recalled.  
In fact, was she taller than she remembered? No, at her age only shrinking was in the books. Though that didn’t do much to explain why the floor seemed farther away than she recalled, now she stopped to consider it.

That wasn’t all though, oh no.

The wrinkles forming on her face and hands that had been growing over the years hadn’t faded, so much as somehow blended. It reminded Eliza of a visit to some of the art museums in Europe she had made some three years ago. In Paris there had been a collection of sculptures of people made by masters over the ages. They had sculpted the unyielding stone into looking soft, with gentle folds in fabric and wrinkles on peoples faces.

That’s how she looked now: sculpted

Like someone had found an ideal vision of her and carved it into creamy marble with a master’s hand.

She was still herself, but somehow _more_.

She still looked old, still bore the evidence of her pregnancy, and the work of her hands over the years. Yet the age shown only served to make her look more regal, more graceful and wiser.  
Which was odd as Eliza had always been determined to age disgracefully, to flaunt her years and enjoy living because otherwise what was the point? Her newly hewn form flew in the face of this somewhat however, and she managed to put a finger on something about what she saw that was bugging her.

Her skin reminded her of her daughter’s, Kara’s, a _Kryptonian’s._

It looked perfect.

Too perfect.

Untouched.

Pristine in the way that only someone immune to the weathering of life could achieve. Yet all the tiny imperfections that had build over time (and Gods knew she had had enough of them) were all smoothed away. All the moles and freckles and evidence of acne and those assorted tiny scars one got by simply living were carved from the stone, leaving it smooth, with what few remaining looking deliberate, like a dab of paint from a renaissance painter, serving only to further enhance its surroundings by contrast.

With a dazed expression reflected on the mirror in front of her, Eliza leaned closer, trying to catalog these changes that had somehow happened overnight.

Her hair was another thing. It’s not that Eliza didn’t care for her hair, she did. She had gotten good at it too, with a small collection of shampoos and conditions giving a bounce and sheen to her blond and graying hair that was almost unheard of at her age. But try as she might to keep it healthy, the simple truth of it is that time erodes all, and even with her efforts, her hair had gradually lost some of the strength and shine of her youth.

Not that you could tell that now.

Now, her hair had all the shine and bounce of a photo-shopped model, looking so healthy as to look somewhat unreal. Even the grey streaks that she had stubbornly left in (she was old, she knew it, everyone knew it, why try to hide it?) now looked like silver-white highlights streaking her hair.

A fashion statement, rather than evidence of her time in the world.

Panic was buzzing a little behind her ears at this point, but the scientist in her was hopped up on sugar, caffeine and probably some illegal magical stimulant at this point and had her brain by the wheel to take it for the joyride of a lifetime.

OK.

So.

I look and feel amazing.

I’m not complaining, not really, but I should not look amazing, well not this amazing anyway.

Not like a perfect version of, well, me.

I _did_ not, look amazing.

Why?

What changed?

First thought, Phoebe.

No. Not just Phoebe.

Something else.

Unfortunately, the scientist’s joyride was rudely interrupted by other bodily functions, namely the waking snarl of Eliza’s stomach.

The newly refurbished mother got dressed and made her way to the kitchen somewhat irritated at the interruption. She was close to something, she could almost taste it, like a word on the tip of your tongue in a game of Scrabble which which would get you a triple word score and win you the game if only you could assemble this seemingly random collection of letters in the right order and place them just so.

She was close and she knew it. Eliza put the coffee on with a frustrated huff.

Well, she was fairly confident that it had something to do with her two new girls anyway.

The pair of goddess’s were undoubtedly wonderful to have around, but Eliza had always know they would bring some changes. It hadn’t really occurred to her that whatever this is might be one of them though, she thought as she readied the pancake mix, preferring to mix it from scratch over packet mix. But why hadn’t it happened earlier?

Unless.... Eliza groaned, rolling her eyes.

Phoebe was absolutely a goddess, wasn’t she?

Eliza had figured there would be more sooner or later, all her research on the pantheon had indicated there was enough of them, and her girls had implied that they would be showing up sooner or later.

The mother hadn’t really put too much thought into it, figuring she would cross that bridge when she came to it. Well, she had arrived at the bridge.

_Time to cross it I guess_ , she thought with a resigned sigh.

As Eliza fried the first batch of pancakes and readied the hash-browns for the oven and fruit for the juicer, the mother’s mind turned to her newest charge.  
So, odds are pretty good that Phoebe is a goddess. Does _she_ know that? Best discuss it with the others before it comes up with her, the cook decided, flipping the second batch on the pan.

Ahh yes, her girls.

Eliza grinned at the thought of how they might react to her replenishment.

Eliza pondered this while grinning, and very stubbornly not thinking of what had happened as a transformation. That had many implications, and no small number of them were unpleasant at best.  
She had no desire to be the DEO’s latest project. She was very curious as to what may have to say about her.... change, reasoning that if they were in fact responsible, there was a better chance of them knowing what had happened and what it might mean.

Speaking of her girls, Eliza expected to hear the light bouncing steps of the older goddess any time now, and smiled at the thought. Their time living together had confirmed Eliza’s earlier impression of the girl(or was it woman? She still wasn’t very clear on that) as a morning person, the copper-haired goddess of hearth and home never failing to wake at the scent of a cooked breakfast, something that Eliza took great pleasure in providing for her charges. Not that she had ever been formally charged with their care, Eliza thought, but you’d have to fight to take them from her now, a fierce scowl on her face as the thought crossed her mind.

As expected, Eliza’s musing was soon followed by the thumping of prancing feet as the elder goddess bound into the room with a “Good morning Eliza!” before retrieving her first cup of coffee for the day. As it turned out, the fiery little thing was something of a caffeine hound. Though still a fan of a good hot chocolate, Hestia claimed that the preparation and enjoyment of tea and coffee was such a morning and family ritual to large portions of the world that she had started to draw strength from it, whatever that meant.

The small found family had yet to properly discuss what powers they might have with Eliza, or what they meant, something that they now had reason to resolve promptly, Eliza thought wryly as the goddess took her pull of her beloved beverage.

“I’m glad you got home! I was really worried. I know how the cold can affect humans and it was _cold_ last night,” Hestia said, still not taking her eyes of the drink, much to Eliza’s amusement.

“I mean, I know you know what to do, and you said the car was fine, it just needed help getting out of the snow,” the goddess chattered.

“But still! What in the Pit was that driver thinking! Blasting their horn, in the middle of town, at that time of ni-”

Eliza attempted to keep her face strait at the completely gob-smacked impression on the girl’s face, Hestia’s eyes were blown wide having finally looked at Eliza, her mouth opening and closing but nothing coming out as she held her mug in a white knuckled grip. The steam from the mug started to blossom as the sounds of the coffee boiling started to fill the room. Soon the mug grew cherry red in the goddess’s grip before making a sad little cracking noise and shattering, leaving the floor littered with ceramic shards and burnt coffee.

The loss of her drink seemed to startle Hestia into action, as she was soon yelling.  
“Heather! Heather! Get up! Seriously I need you RIGHT NOW!”

Before this point, Eliza had been fighting a grin as she enjoyed the stunned look on Hestia’s face, but the goddess’s panic soon made her amusement give way to concern.

What if what had happened, her _change_ , had not in fact been a good thing?  
What if it meant something earthshaking far beyond the ultimate in magical plastic surgery?

It had always been a possibility but Hestia's panic implied something on the bigger side, Eliza thought, even as Heather stumbled into the room, her normal morning lethargy warring with her concern.

“Big sis? You sound worried, what’s going o- Oh shit.”

“Oh shit is correct.”

“Oh Shit.” “Yeah, no kidding!”

“Girls!” Eliza yelled, interrupting their growing panic.

“Look I know that this,” the mother said, indicating her whole body, “Is kinda big news, but you’re panicking and doing no-one any favours. So, how about I get our breakfast plated up, while Hestia, you clean up your mug and Heather get the drinks ready.”  
Both deities look embarrassed before nodding and following Eliza’s instructions.

A few minutes later, the three are seated at the table, eating their first few mouthfuls quietly before Eliza breaks the silence.

“So, am I to understand that this change is a big deal then?” She says calmly, looking both girls in the eyes.

Both goddesses look nervous for a moment, before Heather finally answers.

“Yeah, it’s definitely a big deal. This might be kinda hard to explain. Look, Eliza, what happened last night. Did anything else happen after you crashed last night?”

“Eliza crashed?! Why did no one tell me!” Hestia shrieked.

“I was going to tell you if you woke up, or when I saw you this morning. It was nothing big, Eliza hit some ice after some jackass-” “Language!” “Sorry, some idiot truck driver used their horn full blast in the middle of town, she skidded and hit a snow bank and needed to get a tow truck to pull the car out. No lasting damage right?”

Heather asked the mother who nodded in response, letting Hestia heave out a sigh of relief.  
  
“Anyway, as I was saying, did anything else happen after you crashed? Anything change?”  
The brunette looked at intently as she questioned her.

“Actually yes.” Eliza said, drawing a knowing look between the goddesses out.

“Would you mind telling us?” Hestia asked, face serious, her attention fully on the mother.

“I can do you one better. How about I show you?” Eliza rose from her seat and gestured for the two to follow her, who silently obeyed.

Eliza led the two to her bedroom and paused before the closed door, holding up a palm for them to stop, and putting a finger to her lips in the universal sign for silence.  
After the pair nodded, the mother gently opened the door. Through the door-frame, there in Eliza’s bed lay the sleeping form of the little huntress, her limbs tangled in the covers.  
Allowing for a few seconds of stunned perusal from the goddesses, Eliza soon closed the door and led them back to the kitchen were they sat down to resume their meal, before Heather spoke up softly.

“Eliza. Who was that?”  
  
Eliza took a moment to finish her mouthful and gather her thoughts before replying.

“That is what happened last night,” she said drawing exasperated looks from the pair, and chuckled before she continued.

“Last night, after the crash, I got out of the car to take a few photos for insurance, like I told you,” she said drawing a quick nod from Heather.

“In one of my photos I saw what looked like human skin in the treeline, just briefly with the flash. I decided to investigate, and found that girl there, sleeping in a shelter she had made from pine branches.”

At this the pair listening shared a look, before rolling their eyes in tandem and looking back at Eliza fondly, who frowned.

“Well what did you expect me to do? She would have froze out there! And it’s not like the hunting was good either, the poor girl was starving!” the mother argued, sounding defensive.

At this point the goddesses were chuckling. They should have known really.  
Of course she would bring in another stray. They were strays themselves after all.

At this point Eliza was almost pouting, the look incongruous with her bright and unblemished new features, and somehow all the more endearing for it, causing the sisters to start laughing outright, until soon Eliza was giggling along with them.

Finally, they settled and Hestia spoke, “It’s alright Eliza, really, it is. We were just thinking how like you it was to bring in another stray, as we are strays ourselves.” This drew a grin and nod of agreement from her younger sister, which made Eliza blush a little.

“Anyway,” Hestia continued, “I’m guessing that’s not everything is it? When did this change happen?”  
Eliza frowns for a moment, puzzled.

“Now that’s the strange thing isn’t it? That is most of the story. We came home after the car was towed from the snow, and went to bed pretty much immediately, barring me getting our new guest a shower. I don’t know when this happened, I only realised it had after I saw myself in the mirror after a shower.”  
This drew confused and concerned looks from both girls, before Heather sighed and smiled.

“Well all of that aside, is there anything we should know about our new guest? Her name for instance?” The goddess teased, though she had a feeling she knew the answer.

“A couple of things actually. The first is she hasn’t spoken since I met her. I spoke and she communicated with gestures for the most part. As far as names go, she can’t or won’t tell me what hers was, so she had me name her. I called her Phoebe, as she indicated wanting to be named after the moon somehow.”  
  
This statement was met by a stunned silence from the pair.

Soon, Hestia was all but rolling on the floor laughing, tears streaming down her face as her sister sat with her head in both hands groaning softly.

Eventually, Heather rose her head, shaking it before saying,

“Well. That explains it,” even as Hestia continued to laugh, holding her aching ribs at this point.

Eliza was now more confused than ever.

“What explains it? What did I do? And what happened?” She said crossly, standing up with her arms folded.

Heather indicated for Eliza to sit down again, which she did reluctantly before speaking.

“So, you know how I mentioned that other gods and goddesses might show up right?’  
  
Eliza nodded before saying, “Well I figured out that she was probably one this morning due to all this,” indicating her changed body.

Heather nodded in approval.

“That makes this a little easier then. Eliza, when you named that girl, that goddess, she was the second goddess you named after me.”  
Eliza nodded, showing she was following, but still clearly confused.

“But didn’t you call yourself Heather?” asked Eliza.

Heather shook her head.

“Not really. Naming always takes more than one person. A proper naming involves someone calling the divinity a name, and them accepting it. It only counts the first time it’s done with any given name,” she explained.

“Naming a Goddess... It’s not a small thing. I know I said it before, but names have power. And if names have power, so does naming a thing.”  
  
Eliza nodded again at what Heather was saying, now with a creeping dread as to where this was going.

“The strength of your, well, your faith, your love, your spirit has revived at _least_ three gods counting Phoebe, four if you count my ex. It almost doesn’t matter that we built ourselves up the rest of the way, it was _you_ that pushed us over that hill back into a form that matters.  
And you _named_ two of us.” Heather said gently but firmly.  
  
Heather reached out and held the hand of the one who had helped pull her from a toxic relationship, who had named her and smiled. Eliza smiled back, fighting the creeping dread of what she would say next

“Eliza, to name something is to claim power over it. To shape it and control it in some small fashion. The same is true of titles. Like calling someone your husband or wife,” the goddess continued.

“Even in that case, to name someone such is to claim some power over them, even if it is in the best of cases a power they share with you. They claim the power to harm or heal you with greater power than any other.

When someone denies that name, they lose some of that power over the other”

Eliza nods, understanding a bit more but dumbly listening now.

“You named two goddesses and they accepted it, and in doing so claimed some power over them, over divine beings, thus granting some fraction of that to yourself. And.....”

At this Heather hesitates. She had know what she had done at the time of course. How could she not? It was too important to do lightly.

She just hadn’t expected it to come to fruition quite like this.

Had thought that her divine influence was more diluted due to her death and resurrection.  
Heather really hoped Eliza didn’t hate her for this....

“The other night. I, the former Queen of the Gods, called you and I quote: _a blond-haired, brilliant, lab-coat-wearing goddess-in-her-own-right.”  
  
_ The stone that had rapidly been sinking in Eliza’s stomach hit the ground with an almost audible thump.

“You didn’t.....” she said, her face stony.  
Heather cringed.  
  
“I may have, kind of, just a little, maybe deified you?”  
  
Eliza starts growling “Heather.......”  
  
“In my defence, I didn’t think it would actually work?” the goddess squeaks, as Hestia starts laughing again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope y'all enjoyed! I had a lot of fun with this one!  
> On a different note, I might need to switch to one update a week as life is catching up with me and my writing has slowed down a lot.  
> Thoughts on this? I can try and maintain the rate, but I am running out of stocked chapters, so there might not be a choice in a few weeks time :/  
> Oh well.  
> Thanks for reading~! Even more thanks for the kudos and comments, they give me life <3


	13. Found Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A bit more discussion of what happened to Eliza and a few hints for those that like to try and figure things out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CW: Mentions of Child Abuse - some panic around this.

**Chapter 13: Found Family**

“So. You deified me.” Eliza said blandly having taken a moment to calm herself, addressing the cringing Heather and smirking Hestia.

“Yes? Kind of?” said Heather meekly.

“Kind of? How do you kind of turn someone into a god?” Eliza’s face was still flinty, but she really was curious.

“I mean, yes I did call you that, but I figured it would maybe give you a bit of energy over time? Extend your lifespan a little. Humans live for such a little while and you already have some time under your belt and I really didn’t want you to leave us fast or for your years to catch up with you.”

  
Heather looked genuinely guilty at having done this, but her eye’s were pleading as she begged Eliza to understand.   
The mother’s eyes softened, and she stood up to pull the goddess into a hug.

“Heather, I can’t say I’m not mad at you, but I understand why you did it. I just wish you had asked me first, that’s all,” she said, patting the girl on the back as she relaxed into the hug.

“Well, what’s done is done. It’s not like you can take it back, can you?” Eliza asked genuinely.

At this, Heather pulled back from the hug with a sorry look on her face, before turning to her sister to explain.

“The thing is Eliza, is well, we could have, or at least Heather could have,”Hestia began.

“Gifting divinity was a perk of being Queen of the Gods, though I thought it would be more diluted than it has been,” interjected Heather.

“...And the dilution was probably in effect. It wouldn’t have been full divinity but, well, you still _named_ two Goddesses, and most importantly, they accepted the names. You can’t really go back from that,” Hestia finished, looking sympathetic.

Eliza let out a sigh at that. “So, I did it to myself?”

The pair of older divinities shrugged and nodded, before Heather said,

“More together with me but yeah. My calling you a goddess gave you some, and you naming Phoebe and I gave you a bit. With only one of them, we could try and reverse it. But with both, it has already changed you. I’m afraid you’ll just have to accept it,” the former Queen of the Gods said, putting a hand on Eliza’s shoulder.  
  
“You, Eliza Danvers, are a Goddess,” Heather intoned solemnly, Hestia nodding behind her.

Eliza sighed once more, before straitening her back, and nodding.  
At her clear acceptance of her new state, Eliza’s skin shone briefly, a flair of golden and white fire flickering over her skin before fading just as quickly.

All Eliza could think is: _It’s Christmas in only a handful of weeks time. How am I going to explain this to my girls?_

Eliza cringed internally at the thought of their responses. She was almost certain it wasn’t going to be pretty. She would have to lay some groundwork to help ease the pair them into the idea.   
Making a mental note to plan and start preparations to get her younger girls to accept her apotheosis, Eliza turned back to the pair waiting at the table, both looking at her curiously.

“So. I’m a Goddess now. What does that even mean?” The mother asked the pair, causing Heather to wince.

“That’s.... a good question,” she began, holding up a hand to stop Eliza’s impending frustrated rant.

“We knew what it _meant_ , you know, when we were established divinities ourselves with our full strength. Back then,” she continued, “A new God or Goddess would get all the usual perks of God-hood. These included but were not limited to: immortality, divine strength and senses, access to Olympus, the home of the Gods, and the ability to teleport and transform themselves as they pleased.”

Heather listed off on her fingers while looking at Eliza, who nodded in understanding, though still looking a bit dazed about this all.

“A new God or Goddess would also be granted a domain, always something related to whatever earned them divinity in the first place, and often something associated with the deity who either petitioned for or gifted the divinity to the new individual,” Heather explained, her tone and posture turning formal as she recalled these ancient happenings.

“So I have a domain?” Eliza asked, receiving confirming nods from the pair.

“Any idea what?”

At this, Hestia shrugged, before saying. “Nothing solid. But I _can_ say that it will be something to do with what you stand for as a person, and likely a piece of it is related to Heather’s former domains: Family, marriage, relationships and royalty,” receiving murmurs of agreement from the brunette in question.

Eliza relaxed a little at that. She knew from earlier talks with the two that domains were an important part of what made up a deity, and the ones Hestia listed didn’t sound so bad.   
She wasn’t sure what she would have done if it had been something like War or Death, she thought with a shiver.

Shaking her head, Eliza clapped her hands to clear the air, and was more than a little startled when a soft wave of power washed over the room, causing the trio’s hair to flutter.

“Err... I just did that didn’t I?” The new goddess asked awkwardly, causing the sisters to nod smiling.

Hestia tilts her head and asks, “What were you trying to do? The air smells and feels.... cleaner, like the room has aired for a few sunny days.”

Eliza nodded at this. “I clapped my hands to clear the air. Old habit from when Jeremiah and I visited Tibet, something that was done there as a form of purification.”

This caused the fiery little goddess to grin widely.  
  
“Well, it worked! How does your first divine miracle feel?” she asked teasingly.

Eliza thought for a moment before saying, “Pretty good, actually,” which caused the pair to cheer.

Eliza was about to scold the pair for possibly waking their new sister when she checked the time.

Noticing the day was getting on, she decided it was probably a good idea to wake the girl regardless so stood up and said, “How about I re-introduce you two to your sister?”  
  
The pair grinned wryly at this before Heather spoke up.

“If she is who I think she is, she was more my step-daughter.”  
“Step-niece here!” piped up Hestia.

Eliza frowned at that, before shaking her head.

“No, no. You two have new lives here and so does she. I’m not going to get into the whole divine family tree nonsense, it gave me a headache just looking at it.   
As far as I’m concerned, she is my daughter now, and your newest sister.”  
  
The pair looked at each other and shrugged. The mother wasn’t wrong, the divine family tree _was_ a headache, and with new lives they weren’t enormously attached to their previous ties regardless, something that was doubly true for Heather, who had renounced her old name and former position at the head of said family.

“That works for me,” Heather said warmly.

Hestia on the other hand, looked suddenly shy, nervously biting her lip, before she asked,  
“Does that mean we can call you Mom?”

Eliza was surprised at the question, and thought for a moment.   
She _had_ just adopted Phoebe, and called the two her sisters, she thought as the idea gained weight in her mind. Besides, more than anything else, it felt _right_ , like the last piece of a puzzle.

Eliza nodded firmly.

“Of course my dear. If you will have me, I’m more than happy to call myself your mother,”

the new goddess said with a bright smile, even as gold and white flames licked her skin and her eyes began to glow a warm yellow.

The sisters watched in awe for a moment, before Heather found herself commenting,  
“I think we’ve just found one of your domains,” she said before her tone turned solemn.

“Hail Eliza, Goddess of Found Family,” she intoned before cheekily adding, “Hi Mom!”   
with a bright smile as she and her sister all but tackled Eliza in hugging her.

Eliza laughed delightedly at the pairs antics, before picking them up and spinning them around with her newfound strength.

Goddess of Found Family huh? That felt good, like coming home, she thought even as she smiled down at her new family.

“Well my girls, how about we go greet your new sister?” the mother asked, finally releasing them with a smile, before leading the pair back to her bedroom and the sleeping girl inside.

................

Phoebe awoke to the sound of a voice softly calling her name.

Her new name.

She liked this name but did not like waking up and the bed was comfortable, so she closed her eyes tighter and curled the blankets around her tighter. Alas, the voice did not stop, so the young girl reluctantly opened her eyes.

On opening them, Phoebe saw a woman with a kind smile watching from the side of her bed.  
They looked different, but after a few moments, she recognised them as _(comforting arms, warm drink, soft sleep)_ Eliza.  
They had _(eggs hatching, chrysalis opening, tadpoles growing legs)_ changed but in a good way.

“There you are darling. I can see you had a good sleep, I’m almost sorry to wake you. But the day is getting on and I thought you might like something to eat?”

Phoebe took half a second to take stock of her body and it’s needs, and found that, yes, she would in fact like something to eat, so she nodded in agreement.

_Amusement, caring_.

“Yes I thought so. Come on then, I have some clothes ready for you and a towel if you want another shower.”

Phoebe shook her head and looked pointedly at the two watchers trying and failing to be stealthy, like cubs that have yet to be taught the hunt.

“Oh these two? These two are my newest daughters, ones I got quite recently”

_Affection, pride._

“Come on in and introduce yourselves girls,” Eliza called the pair of cubs.

The taller one approached first, brown hair done up in a high pony tail, Phoebe noted with approval, good for keeping it out of their eyes.

_Kindness, hesitation, nervousness._

She smiled a bit shyly before saying, “Hi there. My name is Heather. I came to live here after Eliza helped me get out of a bad relationship. It’s nice to meet you, Phoebe.”

_Pain._

_Yelling._

_A selfish alpha, big fish eating little fish in a small pond, deforestation._

_Instant reward, loss over time._

_**Bad relationship.** _

Phoebe understood, so nodded. _(shy smile, brown hair in practical hairdo, pain in her past)_ Heather.

The smaller one came forward, a wide smile on her features, red hair bouncing in ringlets off her shoulders. She looked _(monkeys throwing rocks at other animals, while laughing, penguins slapping each other into ice holes)_ mischievous.

Like trouble, but fun.

“Hiya, I’m Hestia! I’m Heather’s older sister.” Truth.

“We’re going to have so much fun together Phoebe, I just know it!” Hestia said with an even wider smile.

Yup, mischief.

Phoebe nodded. She decided she liked _(bouncing red hair, trouble but fun)_ Hestia.

The young huntress got dressed and followed the others into the foodplace. Eliza made something, taking churned cow milk, _un_ churned cows milk and some finely ground grains and turned it into something soft and fluffy and warm that tasted really good. Phoebe ate a lot of these, and would have eaten more but Eliza said there would be more food later.

The girl didn’t quite believe her, knowing that people can think they are telling the truth and still be wrong. But the sisters said this was true, so maybe it was just a thing that would happen.

Phoebe couldn’t quite believe that they were giving her food she did not have to hunt, just because she was _hungry_.   
Phoebe knew as surely as water flowing downhill and not to trust grown men that hunger only begot hunger without effort. Maybe it was effort that she couldn’t see?

Either way, she knew she was eating someone _else’s_ effort, and they could only grow hungry from this. The guilt ate at her in large vicious bites, carving wounds in her heart.

Soon tears wet the girl’s cheeks and she curled up in on herself, readying herself for the blows that always came at signs of weakness.

Blows that never fell.

Only three pairs of arms, warm with comfort and soft words of kindness like a blanket to a chill flowing over her.

“Shhhhh darling. I will protect you. Nothing will harm you here, I promise.”

Golden fire washed over her, leaving her feeling safe and warm and _loved._

Eliza.

What had she done to deserve this?

Nothing, she decided.

She had done nothing but, she thought even as the fire, warm arms, and soft voices lulled her to sleep on the foodplace floor, she would earn it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for the feedback my beloved readers <3   
> Not gonna lie, full blown John Mulaney moment of "In terms of instant relief, cancelling plans is like crack cocaine."  
> Only posting once a week means I'm suddenly so much less stressed like wow.  
> Anyways, once again, thank you so much for reading, and as always the comments and kudos give me life <3 <3 <3


	14. Trickling Sand

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Scenes from the passing weeks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A few scenes showing a moments in the weeks before Christmas. Some fluff to show the passage of time.
> 
> CW: abusive language

**Chapter 14: Trickling Sand**

To cover for her changes, and to help lay the foundations for informing her elder daughters of them (she had settled on that term for now. She had had them the longest after all), Eliza put in for some early leave to her work, allowing it to carry over through Christmas, and spread the word through email to work and her girls that she had won an all expenses paid health spa trip. It was a weak excuse in the face of the changes and she knew it, but it would serve to distract anyone looking too closely at her, she hoped.

To facilitate this lie, she even booked a week long stay at a spa and several flights using a shell company that she and Jeremiah had put together and the mother’s own considerable savings. Admittedly, the company had originally been set up as a back-up plan against having Kara being discovered, but this fit the purpose of keeping something outside the norm under wraps.

Now, normally Eliza would have delighted in attending such a spa, especially given she was paying for it. After some internal debate however, she had come to the conclusion that the time was better spent with her new little family and integrating them into each other’s lives.

The following weeks had therefore been uneventful in the best of ways, the small family of goddesses growing closer and doing what was needed for them to settle in properly. There had been many highlights as Christmas drew closer, small things that made for the best of memories.

................

Eliza smiled encouragingly at Heather as they arrived at the apartment complex. The building stood out like a sore thumb amidst the relatively modest township and was impossible to miss as they pulled into the driveway.

The brunette was nervous, and could feel her face growing increasingly pale the closer they came to her old home, but she had put this off for long enough and the sooner it was done the better.  
In truth the building they arrived at had been nothing like a home, now that she had experienced a real one.

Towering, with a not so subtle emphasis on Grecian pillars, the complex was an attempt to elevate the owners over the masses, to demonstrate their clear right to rule. Which would be more successful if it wasn’t so damn forced, with a garish paint job and over-zealous use of gold leafing.

Like so many things her ex was responsible for, it was as subtle as a brick to the face, and almost as painful to look at.

Heather likened it to a child playing at king with their father’s crown.

He was desperate to show his power, even when he had yet to earn it, spending a royal fortune on baubles and parties to prove his worth in the most worthless way possible.

The former queen had to restrain a scoff as the thought crossed her mind. Zeus never did have any idea of what being a ruler actually was, the responsibility to lead and the livelihoods the ruler held.  
No, he had always left that to her, earning him a reputation as a magnanimous king and her one of the bitter, scheming wife.

Heather wanted, no, _needed_ to close this chapter of her life, and that meant that she had to retrieve what few small irreplaceable things that she had left in the apartment after her flight. There weren’t many, and she hoped that they were still there, but the former queen was all too aware of her ex-partner’s spite, and so wasn’t exactly optimistic that they hadn’t been trashed or discarded in some fashion.

The pair got out of the car and Heather took a few deep breaths before drawing herself up, pulling her memories of her ancient rule into a cloak of confidence, masking herself with royal self assurance that her actions were right and just, because they were _her_ actions and that made it so.  
Gone in moments was the young woman anxious of seeing her ex, and in her place stood a queen, face calm (if a little pale) and posture regal, with an air command that had seen the rise and fall of empires.

Heather nodded to herself before approaching the entrance, Eliza walking closely behind, suddenly very aware of who Heather had _been_ in a way that was now very real.

Not that it wasn’t real before, but something about how the security guard was clearly fighting the urge to kneel really brought it home, the new Goddess of Found Family thought while fighting the urge to laugh. It really was good to see how the seemingly younger woman wielded her air of command like a weapon, watching her strip the guard to his bones for details on her former partner’s presence and schedule.

The poor man never stood a chance.

They left him standing there looking like he had just survived an encounter with something amazing and terrifying, like a superhero battle or a well-fed tigress, blood still wet around it’s maw.  
“ _All shall love me and despair,”_ Eliza thought, laughing internally as they got into the elevator.

Yes, Galadriel made a workable analogue for the former queen.

She would have to ask the girls about what books they had read and if they included some modern classics. It was sure to be an interesting conversation, the mother thought as the elevator stopped at the top floor.

The rest of the trip past quickly, Heather taking one of many suitcases from a cupboard and filling it with a mixture of clothes she had missed, personal documents and some books she enjoyed, grateful for once of her ex’s sloth that left her belongings intact.

In an inspired piece of spite, Heather also packed the batteries to several remotes, the _spare_ batteries, a random assortment of lightbulbs and the coffee machine. It was a lot better than the one in the Danvers house anyway the brunette reasoned to Eliza, who simply laughed.

  
Before leaving, Heather wrote a note and pinned it to the table with a kitchen knife beside what she bitterly informed her new mother was her promise ring.

The note read:  
  
Zeus,  
  
Fuck You.  
  


Sincerely,

Hera  
  


As they got back into Eliza’s car, Heather turned to Eliza with a bright smile on her face and said  
“How do you feel about doughnuts? I could go for some doughnuts,”.

Eliza couldn’t help but laugh as they left in pursuit of sugary goodness.

................

Taking Phoebe shopping for the basics was a nervous exercise, both for Eliza and for the small goddess. Which was another subject of stress in the house. It’s not that they had been avoiding the subject per se, rather that it was something of a delicate subject. After all, is there really good way to ask an obviously traumatized girl if she knows she is a goddess or not?

If she knows, all well and good.

But if she doesn’t it could re-surface all a manner of unpleasant memories for the poor girl.

Eliza sighed internally, watching Phoebe’s curious expression as they pulled into the car park of Midvale’s shopping district.

They would have to tackle it sooner or later.

Maybe tonight with a nice hot chocolate beside Hestia’s fire?

The seats in front of the fire had in some unspoken fashion became the place for meaningful or delicate talks, or simply content silence, which is healing in it’s own way. It was as good a plan as any, the mother thought as she got out of the car, walking around the side to take Phoebe’s hand.

The small huntress was clearly wary of the people in the street, watching them with a hawk-eyed focus as she took the mother’s hand, paying particular attention to the men, Eliza noted.

After a short walk, the pair entered Eliza’s choice of clothing store, a smaller, quality store called Bennet’s, the light dim through the mother’s basic disguise of glasses and a hat used to conceal her continued presence in the town until after the holidays.

The store was privately owned and had a homey feel to it, with wood paneling and rich brown accents paired with comfortable furniture and had been a staple of Midvale for as long Eliza could remember. Some time in the distant past, a bespoke tailor had realized that the town was in need of a clothing retailer, but had known that they would simply not have the man-power to provide it.

So, in a bold move, they reached out to the community and struck a deal, that the shop might sell the quality creations of the townsfolk as well as their tailored pieces for a split of the profit. In more recent years, this deal had reached several online creators, giving more range while still producing quality works far better than those produced in sweat-shops. Everyone knew they made a loss on this, yet continued to support them in any way they could, with some people donating quality handmade goods to the store to sell.  
It was things like this that made her fall in love with smaller communities, Eliza thought as they stepped in the door, a bell signalling their entrance.

“Hello there, how can I help you?” Asked Mary Bennet brightly, the latest in the long line of Bennet tailors smiling from behind the register. Mary was a young adult, mid-30s at the latest, but had a timeless grace about her that spoke of a wealth of experience, as did the streaks of white peppering her black hair.

Eliza smiled back before removing her glasses and hat, the action drawing a short gasp of reply from the other woman.

“Eliza! You look..... well you look amazing! I had heard you had won a health spa trip, and clearly it worked wonders!” Mary said, her hazel eyes alight as she came from behind the counter to give her friend a warm hug which she returned.

“It’s been too long Mary.”  
  
“Yes well, the hazards of making clothes built to last,” the tailor joked, before turning her eyes towards Eliza’s companion, who was watching her intently from behind the mother.

“And who do you have with you today?” The tailor asked, smiling gently at the clearly nervous girl.

Eliza smiled as she wrapped an arm around the little goddess’s shoulders, coaxing her forwards.

“This is Phoebe. She has come in to my care from some unfortunate circumstances, and is the reason I’m here today. She needs a full wardrobe, or as much as we can manage.”  
  
Mary crouched so she was eye level with the girl, her face gentle.

“Phoebe is it? It’s nice to meet you. My name is Mary Bennet, and I am the owner of this store and an old friend of Eliza’s,” the tailor said, holding out a hand that the huntress took warily before shaking.

“Now, how about you and I take a look around the store and see what kind of clothes you like?” Mary asked with an encouraging smile.

Phoebe looked at Eliza, who nodded, reassuring the girl this was OK, before she followed the tailor to one end of the store. Eliza sat down, making herself at home as the pair started looking at the assorted cloths, beginning with some skirts that the mother could tell from Phoebe's face she wanted nothing to do with.

Eliza had set aside a day for this, expecting a more thorough treatment from the tailor once even a censored version of the girl’s circumstances came to light.

Sure enough, the trip took them from the morning until mid afternoon, only being interrupted by the occasional purchase by wandering customers. Eliza kept herself carefully still in a store corner as they passed, and her continued presence in the town seemingly passed without mention.

By the time it was over Phoebe had a new wardrobe and the pair were exceedingly hungry.

Phoebe looked up at Eliza brightly as they stepped out of the store into the afternoon light, clearly proud of her new garments. After a long period of searching for clothing she liked, the girl had finally arrived on an aesthetic that would make Eliza’s eldest (well, her first one anyway) daughter proud. Her new wardrobe consisted primarily of unpatterned darker colours, greens, blues and greys with a disproportionate amount of black on clothing that wouldn’t look out of place on a DEO agent, though at the mother’s urging a number of hoodies and cardigans were added, some even in a very reluctant yellow.

Eliza smiled back at her newest daughter, and felt a flush of power flicker along her skin, just enough to give it a little glow, not quite fully masked by the sunlight.

The new goddess had been getting better at controlling her, well, her new powers, though calling it her new state was also accurate. She had reached the point where a warm family moment wouldn’t ignite her, not if she didn’t want to. Which was just as well considering it wasn’t that long until her first daughters arrived.

The blond woman’s musing was cut short by a man’s yelling. It was aggressive, slurred and coming closer.

After a moment, the yelling person came into view. The man was clearly drunk, stumbling every few steps. They were unshaven, unkempt, and looked like they had rolled out of bed, though a bar and into a gutter.

They were also wearing a (heavily stained) lab coat, and someone Eliza could happily have gone the rest of her potentially immortal life without seeing ever again.

“Docteeeerr Eliiiza Danverzz! It’s you, isn’t it?! You BITCH!” he yelled, mostly coherent.  
  
“Nice to see you too, Edwards,” said Eliza, with no small amount of irony.

“YOU COST ME EVERYTHING!” Screamed Edwards as he stumbled ever closer.

The mother internally shrugged. She was completely unsurprised to learn that his actions had come back to haunt him, even if she didn’t know the specifics.

“No Edwards. You, you cost you everything. Go home. You’re drunk and whatever this is will do you no favors,” Eliza warned, narrowing her eyes.  
She doubted he’d drop it so easily, but she had to warn him at least.

For his own good really.

She wasn’t exactly sure how strong ‘divine strength’ was, but odds were it was a lot stronger than how she used to be, and she had been no slouch at the gym.

Stronger than a puffed up man-child at any rate.

The drunk stumbled to a standstill a few feet from Eliza, and frowned for a moment while squinting, his eyes seeming to focus, before a sloppy smirk formed on his face as he looked her up and down.

She could smell his breath, rank with hops and what smelt like weeks without brushing.

“Heyyy, you, you’re looking really good. You should come back to mine. After all, you owe me!”

Eliza’s thoughts pulled to a screeching halt as what he just said registered.

This was followed by thoughts of utter disbelief, which probably saved his life.

Just as pure rage began to register in her mind, the disgraced scientist was blown off his feet into a nearby car with a loud thump.

Staring in surprise, Eliza turned to see Phoebe, in her new totally-not-a-commando clothing with a fist outstretched beside where Edwards had stood a second earlier.

The girl glanced back at her with a look of bleak rage etched on her normally stoic features, before turning back to the groaning drunk.

The huntress then raised a hand to her mouth and released a shrill whistle, which was followed by a stunned silence from the spectators.

This was in turn followed by a series of loud cries as a flock of gulls came swarming from the direction of the beach and proceeded to dive-bomb Edwards, who started swearing as he rolled off the car’s hood and began running down the street as fast as his inebriated legs could carry him. The man was soon covered head to toe with droppings and was still swearing as he turned the corner and was out of sight.

Phoebe turned to her now somewhat bemused mother with a happy grin, asking silently for praise which Eliza was only too happy to give.

“Well done my girl! That’s how you treat a man who makes themselves unwelcome!” The mother said proudly, before wrapping her in a big hug.

_I guess that answers the question of if she knows she has powers_ , Eliza thought as they got back in the car. She would talk to her newest daughter about appropriate power usage once she had put some thought into it.

  
For now, she would let her have this, she thought as Phoebe smiled happily at the scenery as they drove.

................

“So the first part of controlling your divine energy is understanding where it comes from,” said Hestia.

It was a sunny day that felt quite out of place with the amount of poor, typical winter weather they had been having, and Eliza had asked her daughters for some help with understanding her new powers before her _other_ daughters arrived for Christmas. Eliza had ensured that each of them was bundled up warm before heading outside. She herself only wore a coat to stop her other clothing getting wet from the snow around them. Since the ChangeTM the mother had noticed that she didn’t really feel the cold any more.

Or the hot for that matter, now able to comfortably pull things out of the oven with her bare hands.

Well, she could feel it, it just didn’t really affect her?

It was trying to understand things like this that led them outside on this fine day.

Heather and Hestia were sitting on lawn chairs while Eliza stood in front of them. In the background, Phoebe could be heard practising with her slingshot, though she didn’t seem to need it, firing stones into a tree in exactly the same spot and slowly but surely drilling a hole through the trunk. When asked why she was doing this, the auburn haired girl (who had had said hair cut in a utilitarian buzz along all sides) had tilted her head in a silent _Why not?  
  
_ “Now by our reasoning, you are the Goddess of Found Family. Probably other things too, but we don’t know what they are yet, so we’ll work with what we know. Anyways, with knowing that domain at least, you should be able to draw strength from the idea of found family, and thoughts around it. Just like I can draw some strength from fire and the idea of a safe home,” Hestia explained with a smile.

“So, I think about stuff around found family and I get to use my powers?” Eliza asked skeptically.

The sister’s looked at each other and shrugged.

“More or less,” Heather agreed.  
  
“Look, this isn’t science. Just as every God is different, how they access their powers is different.  
Getting stronger in connection with their domains is just the most common starting point,” Hestia said with a shrug.

“Try thinking about times where your power flared up. That should give you an idea of where to begin,” suggested Heather.

“Time’s where my power flared up, huh?” Eliza mused, looking down at her hands, before closing her eyes and thinking.

One such occasion immediately sprang to mind, when she had claimed the girls as her daughters.

A smile lit up her face as she recalled how they had rushed into a group hug. She thought about Hestia’s nervousness, the joy on her new daughters’ faces, the feeling of coming home.  
Soon, the new goddess felt a feeling of warmth pool in her stomach and could feel herself smile as it spread through her limbs.

Eliza opened her eyes to see all three of her new daughters beaming up at her, and that her hands were once more lit by that now familiar flickering golden and white flame.

Wait, looking up at her?

Was she _floating_?  
  


Sure enough, looking down she noticed she was a few feet off the ground, before she jolted in surprise at this realisation and landed with a thump in a patch of snow, setting the girls laughing, soon joined by Eliza herself.  
  
Phoebe was soon by her side, a small smile on her face as she pulled her mother to her feet.

“That makes a solid start,” Hestia said with a grin. “Remember that feeling, and the rest of this should go smoothly.”  
  
Sure enough, the rest of the day was spent exploring (within reason) just what Eliza could do with her divine influence. She found soon she could light her fire at will, though she had a little more trouble restraining it, and that the fire itself would only burn what she wanted it to burn, which they tested by setting alight a bucket of snow while dropping snow balls on it to melt. With a little practice, the snow in the bucket burned without melting as long as she focused on it, while the snow dropped into it evaporated with a short hiss. She started learning to leave things on fire outside of direct contact without having to focus on it, though she was limited to one candle for now.  
Said candle now sat on the dining table, it’s wick aflame without the wax melting, casting a golden glow on the surroundings. It was a neat trick and she thought she might use it to help introduce her elder daughters to the idea of her being divine. Though she might have to wrap her own head around that first, the mother thought wryly.  
They were saving practising flight for somewhere safer. They would probably have to get DEO help for that, Eliza thought with a sigh.

The new goddess grew in confidence through the day, feeling her powers as an extension of herself until she was relatively sure she could last through Christmas without causing an ‘Our Mom has Super Powers?!’ scare, with luck of course.  
  
Not that things ever went as planned where these things were concerned, but she could hope couldn't she?  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a bit of filler for you, and answering a couple of questions maybe. After this we'll be leading up Christmas and all the potential drama around that. Thanks for reading my dudes/dudettes/dudothers! Hope you enjoyed! :)  
> As always, comments and kudos keep me going like nothing else and are most welcome <3
> 
> Side note: reached today and realized I had done pretty much no writing all week. Feelsbadman.jpg


	15. Lines of Communication

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eliza has a conversation that really needed to happen

**Chapter 15:** **Lines of Communication**

Christmas was only three days away, and Eliza found herself seated in front of Hestia’s fire surrounded by her new daughters. The three of them were touching her in some fashion to try and comfort her, Heather and Phoebe leaning into her sides while Hestia sat at her feet as the mother stared at the phone in her hands.

They’d had a lovely dinner courtesy of Hestia, and had enjoyed a hot chocolate before gathering in the lounge, the warmth of the fire a balm on the mother’s increasingly shaky nerves. She had been putting this off for weeks now, but her two eldest daughters were supposed to be arriving tomorrow so she could put it off no longer.

They would wonder why there were strangers in the house when Christmas was for family, so Eliza had to inform Alex and Kara that the three girls were, in fact, family.

They were leaving official adoption until the new year, and were hoping to get some insider help to speed the process along, but at this point they were family in all but paperwork.

Eliza wondered briefly if this was what Alex had felt before coming out to Eliza on that particular Thanksgiving. Not exactly the same of course, but she couldn’t help but draw parallels.  
The blond Goddess of Found Family took a few steadying breaths, feeling her daughters each give her a comforting squeeze, before she pressed the call button on the phone.

After a few rings, the call was picked up, the deep and crisp voice of her daughter bright in answering her mother.

“Hey Mom! How’re you going? Did you need anything? Asked Alex.

Eliza’s eldest daughter sounded cheerful, which put the mother in a good mood for a moment, recalling how their relationship had improved in recent years. This was quickly followed by mounting dread at the thought of loosing said improvements.

“Hi Alex! I wanted to check in, are all your travel plans the same?”  
  
“Yes Mom, they’re all the same. All of us have time off, even Lena would you believe? Though to hear Sam say it she, Jess and Kara had to all but drag her out of the labs,” Alex said with a chuckle.

“We should all be coming up tomorrow. Kara, Lena and Winn in one car, Maggie and I in another.  
Brainy and Nia are staying in National City, and J’onn and M’gann might visit briefly on the day but are playing it by ear for now,” the special agent finished with her typical military precision as she recited the groups holiday plans.

“Good, I’m glad it’s all sorted,” Eliza said with a slightly strained chuckle. The goddess could almost hear her daughter’s eyes narrow picking up the stress in her her mother’s voice.

“Mom, what’s going on, is everything OK?” Alex asked, voice growing tight with concern.

Eliza took a deep breath before answering.

“Everything is fine honey. Hey, is Kara around?” she asked. If she had to have this conversation, she really only wanted to have it once.

“No, but I can have her here in seconds. Mom, what’s wrong?” Alex was clearly on edge at this point.

“Please, get her,” her mother asked, opting to not answer the question until both of them were present.

In her National City apartment, Alex was growing increasingly worried. Maggie sat beside her and held her hand. both of them anxious in their ignorance. The director sent a quick text to her sister, which was followed almost instantly by Kara’s arrival in full Supergirl regalia and a look of concern identical to her sister’s, the tell-tale whoosh sound of her flight informing Eliza that both of them were present.

“Mom, Kara just arrived. Maggie is also here if that’s OK? Now please, tell us what’s wrong. You’re kinda freaking us out here,” Alex pleaded.

“Hi Maggie, Hi Kara. Alex, it’s fine, nothing is wrong,” Eliza said quickly, struggling to keep her voice calm.

“I didn’t mean to stress you out. I just have kind of a big piece of news and I’m a bit worried about how you will take it.” The mother could almost feel the stress burning a whole in her stomach as she spoke.

“OK, so you’re not in danger?” Alex asked, ever the soldier.  
“Talk about a dog if you’ve been kidnapped or held hostage in any fashion,” she said, an edge of that military command bleeding into her tone.

“Alex I’m fine, I haven’t been kidnapped, I’m safe at home,” Eliza said with an exasperated chuckle. Trust her eldest to rush to the worst possible conclusion. A product of her work, undoubtedly, the mother thought wryly. At least her daughter’s catastrophising had calmed her nerves some.

Alex breaths a sigh of relief before replying.  
“OK, good. Now you said you had some news for us?” her daughter asked.

“Yes, could you put the phone on speaker?” Eliza asked, receiving a hum of acknowledgement, followed by a familiar beep signalling that she had done just that.

“Hi Eliza! What’s going on?” asked Kara, who was relieved after hearing that her adoptive mother was in no danger. Now that that was out of the way, the bouncing ray of sunshine that was Eliza’s alien daughter was curious, resembling the puppy so many related her to.

“Hi Kara,” the mother said with a smile, able to picture her daughter’s bright expression effortlessly. “The two of you may want to take a seat for this.”  
Eliza heard the slight shifting as they sat on a couch and moved the phone around.

“OK, Eliza, you can talk now,” Kara said, almost vibrating with curiosity.

The mother took yet another deep breath before beginning. It had taken the four goddesses (well, three of them, while Phoebe nodded or shook her head in the background) a while to settle on a story for her daughters that didn’t involve outing their divinity, and Eliza could only hope they swallowed it.

“So, you know how I told you that I had gone on a health spa a few weeks ago?”She began, hearing them reply affirmatively before she continued.

“Well, while I was there I came across two girls, sisters. I met the older one, Heather, outside an apartment complex near the hotel I was staying,” Eliza began, noting Hestia and Heather poking tongues at each other.

Calling Heather the elder made sense in terms of the story as for all appearances, Heather should be a good ten years her sister’s senior. That didn’t mean Hestia liked it, the mother thought, smiling at their antics.

“Heather she.... she was in the process of breaking up with her long-time boyfriend when I met them. She had found him cheating and it wasn’t the first time so she was done with him.  
Unfortunately, he didn’t want to just accept this. I ended up having to mace him to get him to back off.”

The three woman in Alex’s apartment looked at each other, all of them looking fierce and proud of their mother’s/ totally-mother-in-law-to-be’s actions. If Eliza thought he had to be maced, them he certainly had it coming.

Alex and Maggie shared a look, silently agreeing to see if they could find the dirt on this dirt-bag, and when they turned to Kara she was nodding, scowling at what actions may have caused her normally peaceful Mom to defend someone so aggressively.

Alex answered for all of them when she said, “Good!” firmly, which caused the Eliza and her divine children to smile.

“Anyway, afterwards, I had her and her sister Hestia stay with me. Turns out they had been living together with Heather’s partner and had nowhere to go after they broke off.  
Girls...... they had nothing. No living relatives that they knew of, and not much in the way of savings, and her ex had cut them off from having any friends to speak of.

They had no-one and nothing,” the mother finished, her voice laced with a silent plea at the desperation of their situation.

Alex had sinking feeling about where this was going, while Kara’s eye’s grew progressively wider in anticipation.

“Mom....... what did you do?” Alex asked slowly.

“I maaaaaaayyy have brought them home with me?” Eliza said nervously, struggling to keep her voice calm and sounding she asked a question because of it.

This was followed by a brief silence as her elder daughters took this in before a loud  
“SQUUUUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!” sounded from Kara, causing all of them, divine and mortal alike to wince.

“ELIZA DO WE HAVE NEW SISTERS?!?!?” The Kryptonian puppy all but screamed, which was followed by Alex yelling at her to calm down.

After a few moments to achieve this Alex turned back to the phone.“Well, to repeat her question, _do_ we have new sisters?” She asked wryly, which caused Eliza to smile.

“Well the short answer is yes,” the mother said, which received another round of squealing before calming again.

“The long answer is that I would like to adopt them after the holidays and they agree, but I wanted them to meet you first,” the mother finished.

Alex was silent for a little while, thinking about how this made her feel, while Kara had started rambling about all the things she could do with her new sisters, finding out their favourite things, going to restaurants with them, having them meet Lena, taking them to CatCo and maybe L-Corp, and more as it faded to a blur in the special agents mind.

Alex felt, well, conflicted about this. On one hand, she and Kara had long since left home and were adults living their own lives so this didn’t really affect them.

On the other, she was hurt. These girls would grow with all of Eliza’s love and none of the pressure of helping keep Kara’s secret from the world. She felt bitter that they would get what she didn’t.

At the same time, Alex couldn’t in all honesty say she wouldn’t do the same in Eliza’s shoes. She had always wanted a kid and, after a long time, many arguments, and almost breaking up with her, arrived on a compromise with Maggie to adopt a child, probably a teenager. How could she begrudge a loving home to two girls that needed it? She felt herself laugh bitterly at that.  
She and Maggie had been on the adoption wait list for a while now, and somehow her mother had got there first without trying. Maybe it was time to throw some of her Director of a Secret Agency weight around to speed up the process?

“Alex? Are you alright darling?” asked Eliza, her voice breaking through her elder daughter’s thoughts.

Alex shook her head before sighing and finally replying.

“Yeah, I’m alright. It’s just a lot is all,” she said before pausing. Something was bugging her about her mother’s voice. She was clearly on edge as she wasn’t normally this transparent with her voice.  
So she was not just nervous, but _very_ nervous. The agent had another feeling of dread before speaking again.  
  
“Mom.... that is all of the news, right?” The director of the DEO all but interrogated her mother, causing Eliza to wince on the other side of the phone. She should have known Alex would pick up on that. Oh well, it’s not like she wasn’t planning on telling her on this call anyway.

“Yeah there’s something else,” Eliza said, once more catching the National city trio’s attention.

“Not too long after we got home, I was working late one night and was driving home when I had a bit of an accident. And before you ask, yes, I’m fine, even the car is fine, I hit some ice as I braked and hit a snow-drift,” She rushed out, forestalling her daughter’s concerns.

Her daughters took a few deep breaths before Kara said “Continue.”

“I got out of the car to see the damage and take a few pictures for insurance,” Eliza began again.

“As I took the last one, I saw something in the light of the flash in the woods around the drift.  
What I saw turned out to be human skin. When I went to investigate, I found someone.” She continued, the phones silence indicating her audience’s full attention.

“I found a girl in a shelter made of pine branches. My girls, this girl was... she was so small, maybe 12 but looked smaller she was so thin, and she was fierce.” Eliza’s voice was laced with pride for her even as she recalled how Phoebe had all but snarled that first meeting.

“And if I didn’t do something, she was going to freeze to death, shelter or no,” she finished.  
  
This time, her daughters knew what was coming.  
“You took her home,” said Alex. It wasn’t a question.

“I took her home,” Eliza confirmed.

“This girl, she had been abused. She wouldn’t talk to me, maybe couldn’t talk at all. Alex, she had me name her rather than telling me her old name.” The mother was holding back tears at this point, and her younger daughters hugged her for comfort, even as Eliza herself hugged the little huntress close, safe against the memory.

The trio on the other end of the phone wore a range of emotions. Kara was a picture of concern at the sound of her mother’s voice, a tightening around her eyes speaking of a building anger at whatever and whoever could do that to a small girl.

Alex’s face was carefully stoic, but someone that knew her might spot her whitening knuckles, and the way her eyes tensed, speaking of her mind running through dozens of ways to find and destroy the ones who did this.

Maggie by contrast wore a mask of bleak fury, a white flame ready to burn all in a path of very direct and brutal vengeance. She knew from her work that what kind of abuse would cause those responses, and everyone in the precinct took a special pleasure in taking such bastards down. More than one good cop had had to be restrained from displaying their displeasure in the form of a bullet, and that was only to Maggie’s knowledge.

Finally, Alex spoke, her voice gentle, not wanting to scare any of her possible new sisters that might be present, or upset her mother further.  
“Mom, what did you name her? What’s her name?”  
  
Eliza took a moment to blow her nose on a tissue that Heather had produced before answering.  
“She wanted to be named after the moon, so I called her Phoebe,” she said with a smile at her youngest, who smiled back lovingly.

“Phoebe, oh that’s such a nice name! Good choice Eliza!” Kara enthused, lifting the groups spirits.

“Is Phoebe there Mom? Are they all there?” Alex asked, her voice still gentle.

Eliza put the phone on speaker so her younger daughters could speak.  
“Yeah, we’re here. I’m Heather. Hi Alex, Hi Kara, Hi Maggie,” the former queen of the gods said shyly.

“I’m Hestia, nice to meet you all!” the goddess of the hearth said brightly.

“Oh gosh, nice to meet you too! I’m Kara and I can’t wait to meet you in person!” The blond reporter enthused.

The director chuckled at her sister before saying “I’m Alex, nice to meet you all. I guess we’ll be getting to know you a lot closer. I’ll have to see if I can take a few more days off work.”

Alex’s hesitation had faded on hearing the girls story and their voices. Not that she didn’t still have a bit of bitterness regarding the whole situation, but she thought that she might like to meet the girls at least. Especially Phoebe......

“Hi all of you, I’m Maggie, Alex’s fiancée, and I’m looking forward to getting to know you!” the policewoman said with a smile at Eliza’s eldest. She could tell just how much the girl’s story had affected her wife-to-be, and she knew that at some point they might have to fight Eliza for one of the girls at the least, if the look on her love’s face was anything to go by.

“I’m especially looking forward to meeting you Phoebe. From what Eliza said you must be very brave. I don’t know you yet, but I would like to, and I’m proud of you,” Alex said kindly, with a gentle expression that made Maggie fall in love with her all over again, and had Kara feeling a surge of pride for her wonderful big sister. All Alex cared about was making sure Phoebe knew that she cared.

On the other side of the phone, Eliza wiped away a tear, smiling at her girls as she felt a surge of pride for her eldest daughter’s compassion, even as the goddess started glowing once more.

Basking in her love for her daughters, Eliza felt Phoebe move, standing up and moving to the phone.

The little huntress seemed to steel herself, taking a couple of deep breaths as her new mother had shown her, before lifting up the phone beside her mouth.

“........hi Alex.”

  
Everyone froze in shock.

Phoebe, the fierce little huntress had just spoken.  
Her voice was tiny, a little croaky from dis-use, yet heartbreakingly sweet.

While her sister’s and mother hugged her, eyes tearing up with joy and hearts full of pride,

on the other side of the call, Alex was still in shock, even as she turned to Maggie and mouthed silently ‘Was that Phoebe?’, which had her love grinning and nodding in response.  
  
“Erm, Hi, hi Phoebe, it’s nice to meet you! I’m looking forward to meeting you so much and I think we’re going to be the best of friends!” The hard-ass elite soldier said gently, absolutely not crying.

In Midvale, Eliza couldn’t stop smiling, even as her divine fire spread over her and her daughters, the golden flames flickering with her joy.

Finally she spoke, addressing the others on the call,  
“Well, I think I speak for all of us when I say I’m looking forward to you coming tomorrow. Have a good night girls, and we’ll see you then!” The mother finished brightly.  
Soon the call ended with all bar the mute once more Phoebe wishing each group goodnight.  
  
Eliza smiled down at her daughters, her fire dying down once more. That had went better than all of her expectations, and gave her hope that this Christmas might just be the best one in a long time.

In National City, Kara turned to her sister with a disappointed pout.  
“Alex I am so very jealous of you right now!”  
  
The directer grinned back at her sister before saying, “Just goes to show, I’m the best sister!”  
  
Kara scowled. “We’ll see about that! Especially once I take them flying!”  
  
Alex grunted at that. She had to admit, flying was pretty hard to top, she thought as she stared into the distance, trying to think of ways to top it. Maybe giving them shooting and self-defence lessons?  
  
She was shaken out of her thoughts when she noticed Kara’s and Maggie’s almost identical grins.  
  
“Soooooooooo, we we have new sisters then?” the blond asked slyly.  
  
Alex shrugged.  
“Yeah, maybe.” With a shy smile.

This might not be so bad, after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all! Thanks for reading and hope you enjoy where it's going. Struggling a bit to write right now, but slowly getting there :)
> 
> Special thanks to ruk1ttenme, MustLove_Motorcycles and 13badwolves for all the comments since the start!  
> Realized I never gave you guys a shout out, but dear Gods, I don't think I'd still be going without you lot! <3
> 
> As always, many thanks for kudos and comments from all, keeps me going <3


	16. Much Ado About Pancakes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alex panics about meeting her new sisters and wakes Eliza earlier than she would like.  
> With nothing but time on her hands, Eliza decides to experiment with breakfast.

**Chapter 16: Much Ado About Pancakes**

Christmas eve dawned and Eliza woke to the obnoxious crowing of her phone at, _seriously?_ 5 am?  
The barely existent goddess muttered about stupid phones, and their stupid convenience meaning everyone had to have one which meant that, she looks at the caller, Alex could call her at 5 am.

With a groan the mother sits up, grateful that Phoebe had started sleeping in her own room sometimes over the last week as she stretched before answering her daughters call.

“Hi Alex. What’s going on?” she says blearily, running her hand through her sleep-messed blond hair. One of many small perks of her new divinity is that her hair never seemed to tangle any more, which was just as well, otherwise it would be a nightmare right now.

“Hi Mom! I just realized that I haven’t got any of my new sisters presents and I have no idea what to get them and, oh God, it’s Christmas Eve the shops are gonna be a nightmare and I have no idea what they like -”

“Alex!” Eliza exclaimed, cutting off her eldest daughter’s rambling.

“You’re channeling Kara. Relax. Take a few deep breaths, go on.”

The mother paused for a few seconds and could hear her daughter’s breathing through the phone. Really, Eliza had been expecting this from her alien daughter, so had pre-empted it by contacting said daughter’s CEO girlfriend. Which on hindsight, may just lead to more extravagant presents but hey, at least she tried.

Either way, hearing the normally stoic Alex have a meltdown about what to get her newest sisters was as unexpected as it was endearing, which was to say, very.

“Feeling better?” she asked, now fully awake.

Alex chuckled, embarrassed. “Yeah, thanks Mom.”  
  
“OK good. We knew that we were leaving it late to tell you about your new sisters, so none of them are expecting presents, alright? BUT -” Eliza says quickly, cutting of Alex’s rising arguments, “I’m sure they’ll be happy with whatever you give them. If you need some ideas as to what they may like, Hestia has been after some wool to try out knitting, and Heather is fond of sketching.  
As for Phoebe, I’m sure she’d love it if you took her paintballing. Really I think all of them would like that but Phoebe especially. They just want to get to know their new family Alex,”

the goddess finished with a smile, dimly aware that she was glowing again.

“Yeah? You’re sure?” the elite soldier asked shyly, causing Eliza to chuckle. Alex painted herself as a bad-ass, and she was one, make no mistake. But underneath all that, her eldest daughter was complete mush and her family knew it. She had clearly been driving herself frantic worrying about making a good impression.

“Yes, I’m sure Alex. They all really want to get to know you and Kara, and in Phoebe’s case, you especially. When I told her about you she was very excited to meet you. In fact...”  
Eliza began, then paused.

She wouldn’t normally suggest such a thing, but the small girl _was_ a goddess, so it’s not like she would be in danger right? And it seemed perfect for her to bond with her far older sister.  
  
“I think you should teach Phoebe how to shoot.” Eliza finished.  
  
Alex responded with a stunned silence.

Whatever she had been expecting to hear, that wasn’t it.

“Mom, are you sure? She’s what, 12? And you, my Mom who, last I checked wasn’t exactly happy about me being in a Spec. Ops. Agency in the first place, want me to teach her how to shoot?”  
The director of said agency asked, more than a little skeptically.

“Yes.”

“Umm. OK. Mom, do you wanna maybe come in for testing?”  
  
“Oh for Gods sake Alex, I’m still me, and no I don’t need testing. I just think it would be a great way to bond for the two of you.”  
  
“Huh. You’re sure?” Alex asked, still dubious, and considering sneaking a DNA swab to see if she could pick up anything wrong when they visit.

“Yes I’m sure Alex,” the mother said with a chuckle.

“As a matter of fact, Phoebe is something of a marksman herself. She uses a heavy duty sling shot right now, but I’m willing to bet that she would just love to get a chance at using proper firearms. I know its not exactly a normal sisterly bonding activity but something tells me it would be perfect for the pair of you. Take her to the range Alex. Put her through all the safety procedures, and watch her shoot. I’m certain she will surprise you,” the mother finished with a smile in her voice.

In these last weeks of Phoebe being in her home, Eliza had had many occasions to witness the girl’s aim. And in all that time, she didn’t think she had seen Phoebe miss.

Ever.

Not even once.

Eliza grinned widely at the thought. She would have to see if she could convince Alex to get into a competition with her. Alex was in for the shock of her life.

“Well, OK Mom, if you’re sure,” her eldest said, still a bit uncertain but clearly warming to the idea.

Getting to teach her little sister to shoot, huh? That sounded pretty cool actually.

“I’m sure honey. I really think the pair of you will enjoy it,” Eliza said with a smile. She had a feeling that sister firing range days were only a matter of time.

“Alright Mom. I guess I’ll make an early stop the mall, see what I can find before we start driving. See you tonight! I love you!” Alex said, sounding a lot more confident now she had a plan.

“See you and Maggie tonight, Alex. I love you too,” the mother said with a chuckle before hanging up.

Eliza lay in bed for a few moments afterwards before deciding, screw it, she was awake now, she might as well get up properly.  
The Goddess of Found Family rose from her bed and stretched for a few seconds before grabbing a towel and heading to the shower.

Becoming a goddess had a lot of side effects that she hadn’t really anticipated, she mused as she relaxed under the hot water. She had heard that she had received a divine body, yet had at first thought it was limited to her unexpected makeover. As it turns out, that was the beginning of what it implied.

For example, Eliza found that she did not, in fact, need a shower.

Unless she got dirty by gardening, baking or by some other means, she would never again _need_ a shower as needing a shower normally meant to wash off the days sweat and dead skin etcetera.  
And, well, she didn’t sweat any more.

She wasn’t entirely sure her skin _could_ die at that.

No, now Eliza showered because shrugging off habits spanning decades wasn’t so easily done and because she _liked_ showering.

It made her feel normal, if only a for a moment.

Not that she disliked the changes that had happened to her, at least so far, the mother thought, exiting the shower and making her way back to the bedroom to change.

No, by and large the changes had only been beneficial to date. The divine strength in particular was something of a favorite of hers. The goddess had found that unlike her Kryptonian daughter, who had to fight to control her strength at any given point, Eliza was as strong as she needed to be.

She could as easily hold an egg safely in her hand as she could arbitrarily unearth a stubborn tree stump. Which made gardening a lot easier, she thought with a chuckle. Previously such tasks had been left for either for one of Kara’s visits or for getting a friend with a truck and large chains to come around.

Eliza made her way to the kitchen, figuring that preparing ingredients for breakfast would only help the day go more smoothly regardless of how many hours it was until her divine daughters awoke for the day. That was another fringe benefit of a divine body, or so Eliza had been informed, she mused as she put ingredients together.

In the strictest sense, possessing such a form meant the owner did not require sustenance, neither water nor food, nor oxygen technically. The mother had yet to test this as, like showering, she _liked_ eating and, also like showering, breaking a lifelong habit didn’t just happen.

Eliza paused in her preparations for a moment, standing over the bowl of pancake mix she had been stirring as a thought crossed her mind.

Heather had briefly mentioned during one of what the goddess had laughing termed Divinity 101 lessons that there was a godly food and drink: Ambrosia and Nectar.  
They were, supposedly, a distillation of divine energy, manifested through a deity’s will.

Whatever that meant.

Eliza still wasn’t exactly knowledgeable on all this stuff and often found herself staring into a mirror and poking her face just to make sure it was still hers.

Honestly it was worthy of a study that her university colleagues would salivate over, The Psychological Changes of Becoming a God.  
Not that she could ever tell them of course, but the thought was worth a chuckle.

Regardless, Ambrosia and Nectar were supposed to briefly empower anyone who consumed them with divine might. They were also supposed to taste really, _really_ good, and be fatal for mortals in any but the smallest of quantities. The other members of the house couldn’t make it right now as they couldn’t access enough divine energy currently to even obtain a strictly divine body, let alone any of their more intensive powers, mainly having access to things that were innate to them.  
But everyone in the house currently was a goddess right?  
  


The Goddess of Found Family raised her right hand and focused on it, remembering that up-welling of power that came with thinking about her family, how much she loved them, the fact that by tonight they would be eating an amazing meal together that she and Hestia would prepare while doing their best to keep Alex, Kara and Phoebe from the kitchen. However enthusiastic she was, Phoebe couldn’t seem to grasp more than a certain survivalist cuisine, though she was great at that, and her eldest two were simply destruction incarnate where any but the very most basic of cooking was involved.

Eliza smiled as she pictured the day to come, then grinned when she realized her efforts had paid off, that familiar surge of power igniting her hand with her signature gold and white flames.  
Heather had mentioned that divine foods were a distillation, right? So maybe if she could focus the flames further...

The mother narrowed her eyes in concentration, and felt as much as saw the flames gather into her palm, pooling there. Instinctively, Eliza tipped her hand and felt the pool of fire pour like molten honey down her outstretched fingers. At the tips, the flames formed a glowing droplet which hung for a moment, before a single drop fell onto the mixture below. The effect was instant, the mixture going from the off cream of its standard ingredients to a glowing gold, marbled with silver-white streaks throughout.

It worked, Eliza thought with a pleased smile, feeling exhausted for a moment before it faded as if nothing had happened. It made sense that pouring out her divine essence would weaken her, the goddess figured, but it seemed like a minimal risk, though she had probably better check that with her daughters just to be sure.

In the meantime, she had some divine pancakes to fry. Or maybe they’re just ambrosia now? Either way, time to fry.

Eliza set the pan up on the stove, letting it heat before adding a knob of butter. When the butter had melted and the pan was up to temperature, the mother ladled the first test portion of the marbled golden mixture in to it. Instantly the room was flooded in a heavenly scent. It was difficult to describe, the mother pondered as she flipped the first one, but she thought it smelt like the essence of not only the best pancakes she’d ever had, but the best _memories_ of pancakes she’d had simultaneously.

The smell must have spread through the house quickly as before long Hestia, the earliest riser of her divine daughters, was walking blearily through the kitchen door easily an hour before she would normally wake. The eldest of the three goddesses rubbed her eyes for a moment, looking adorable to her watching mother in the oversized t-shirt and fluffy pants she favored for sleepwear, before for lifting her nose like a tracking hound, sniffing at the air.

“Morn’n Mom, wha’ you make’n?” The copper-haired goddess asked sleepily before she buried her head in Eliza’s chest, wrapping her arms around her mother for a hug even as the ever-patient mother flipped the next batch.

“Good morning darling. I’ve been experimenting with pancakes,” Eliza said smiling before she kissed the head of the koala wrapped hanging off of her.

“They smell really good,” Hestia murmured into her torso before letting go, looking a little more conscious. The little goddess, ever curious as to new recipes, took a peak into the bowl of mixture beside the stove and gasped.

“Mom! What did you do!?” She whisper-yelled, turning to her mother with her mouth agape and eyes wide awake now.

“I- I experimented with distilling some of my divine power to try and make ambrosia. That is OK right?” Eliza asked nervously.

“You made ambrosia? Are you sure? Can you show me what you did?” Hestia said quickly, brow furrowed and eyes laser-focused on the marbled mixture in front of her, before turning to Eliza with her face carefully neutral.

“Yes I think I can. Give me a moment,” the mother said trying to stay calm. In truth, Eliza had hoped to surprise her girls, but now wasn’t too sure that it had turned out to be a good surprise.

The blond goddess took a few calming breaths before replicating the process she had used to distill her fire before hand. In the space of a few seconds she had ignited her hand and a few more saw the flames pool and coalesce in her palm.

“Eliza....” Hestia said quietly, her voice laden with awe as she watched the process.

The elder goddess had seen many things in her long, long life. Things great and terrible both, yet very few gave rise to the sheer reverence she felt at this moment, watching as her adoptive mother drew from the air that same bright mist that had all but physically cloaked her even before she had been granted divinity.

The little goddess watched as Eliza wove that mist, thought and faith and love given form, a great swirling hurricane of divine potential funneled into her own golden flames.  
Watched her mother give her a stunning smile as those flames pooled like into a golden liquid cupped in both hand, not noticing that she had begun to float and that the light of her power bathed the room in a warm golden glow, making Hestia have to grip the counter to stop her self kneeling at the sight.

_We knew she was powerful, would be powerful. We just had no idea_ _**how** _ _powerful._

Hestia thought, even as her knees fought to buckle and her neck strained to bow.

That all but clenched it: Eliza was the new Queen of the Heavens.  
  
She had only to claim the throne and it would be hers.

The unknowing Queen of the Gods gave her a grin as she formed a droplet of distilled raw divine potential onto a finger tip then licked it off, causing Hestia’s mouth to gape as her mother smacked her lips before commenting:

“Sweeter than I thought it would be, kind of like spicy honey. Guess we won’t have to add syrup to the pancakes then. Would you like some?” she said, offering her palm full of the power to create and destroy worlds to her daughter for a taste.

_Here goes nothing_ , Hestia thought grimly even as she she dipped a finger into the pooled flames.

She looked up at her smiling mother for hopefully not the last time and said,  
“I love you Mom,” before placing the digit in her mouth.

Hestia felt it immediately, like liquid fire and lead running through her veins and had time to think  
 _Here we go!  
_ Before promptly blacking out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey y'all!  
> I'm slowly chugging away writing these chapters.  
> The plot is moving as well, at a slow and steady rate, though I'm in the process of writing some game changers  
> to really get things moving along, so look forward to those :)
> 
> As always, many thanks for the kudos and comments, they give me LIFFEE! <3


	17. Meanwhile...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While Eliza and co. panic, others are living their lives.

**Chapter 17: Meanwhile....**

Zeus was having a bad day.

Well, more of an extended series of them of he was being honest, something he wasn’t in the habit of doing, but whatever the case today felt especially bad, like everything had been carefully designed to annoy exactly him, even if he couldn’t pin down exactly what was annoying him.

Ever since he had killed his father, blaming the nursing home for his life support being cut off and laid claim to dear old Dad’s company, everything seemed to go to shit just when he should be feeling on top to the world. His Father should never have returned in the first place, should have stayed in Tartarus were he belonged, and it was only natural that he inherit the kingdom right? Well, the company for now, but the idea was the same.  
But who knew that running a company was so much work? And that the help was so damned useless? And that there was so much Pit-blighted _paperwork?!  
_ Being King of the Gods was a lot less work, or had seemed it at least. At least that hadn’t forced him into a prison of paper, dull meetings and a high-tower office were he couldn’t even had sex without being interrupted by something or other for 6 hours a day.

The Former Sovereign scowled at the his desk, and even more so at the neat piles of paper atop of it. He took a moment to pull his chair back from his desk and spin around for a moment, before settling on looking just to one side of it where a tall mirror was set in the wall.

Looking at himself in the mirror never failed to cheer him up, if only for a moment.

Whatever other faults this almost mortal form of his had, he couldn’t deny he looked good.

A tall powerfully built man, the son of Kronos or ‘Kirk Saturn’ as he was know to the mortals, cut an intimidating figure in his coal grey suit. With luscious flowing platinum-blonde hair, chiseled features, a dashing smile and a multitude of extravagant jewelry about his person, Zeus knew that it was only his divine right that he looked so good.

It was only right and proper that no woman (or man should he be so inclined) could resist him. Something that he had proven time and again since waking up in this shoddy excuse for town.

Waking up here....

He had woken up beside his wife of thousands of years, both of them in these new forms finally having reformed after being killed by his traitor of a son. It was only natural he would want to get out and about, see how the world had changed, and sow some wild oats right?

Of course he was subtle about it, he didn’t yell it to the heavens or anything, but apparently social media was a thing, and Hera had always been so damned sneaky so of course she figured it out, she always did in the end and, as was good and proper, she let him off.

The first time at least.

Would have let him off the next time she found out too, he was good at getting her to see his side of things, but some Pit-blighted _mortal old woman!_

A female of all things!

Who didn’t know their place interfered and sprays some infernal liquid in his face that he had to go to the hospital to treat!

He would have to find out what it was so he could have her dunked in it for all eternity, he thought his face morphing into a hate-filled rictus in his reflection.

And to cap it all off, some weeks ago he had gone back to the home he had shared with her with a couple of lovely things that _certainly_ knew their place to blow off some steam and what does he find? The promise rings they had exchanged and the mother of all disrespectful and insolent notes!  
  
His scowl grew deeper somehow, gained a certain malevolent shadow that had his secretary, always up for a good time, scurrying away right after entering the room and seeing it reflected.

Of course that bitch would figure out that loop-hole in their vows:

'Till death do us part indeed.

It had been an all but unbreakable vow before Ares stabbed them in the back, and Zeus had been too distracted to pin her down again with it in this life fast enough.

The former King of the Gods shook his head, sighing and turning back to his desk with a bitter sigh. He would have someone catch her, get her to sign a marriage certificate, and modern convenience and her own divine nature would bind Hera to him once more.

Of course, he would have to punish her for running away and disrespecting him, but she would see thing his way in time.

  
After all, it was only his right.

................

Diana Prince had spent weeks now in National City, trying to locate the source of the divine surge, but no matter how high or wide she searched she could not find even so much as a sign that it had occurred, let alone a clue as to what it was.  
However, centuries of life had not taught her anything if not patience. Besides, she had quite a lot of leave stocked up from her work at the Louvre, so she was taking this time to catch up with some friends of hers, and perhaps make a few new ones.

She’d been enjoying her ice-cream, (something Americans had perfected however much the French boasted of their prowess with dairy products) in the park and had to fight back a smirk as she noticed a certain blond in very noticeable blue and red garb playing with a pair of huskies.

The owners couldn’t stop themselves from laughing at the super-heroine's antics as she bounced back and forth between the two, floating up and rolling around first on the ground, then in the air with the happy dogs, a beaming smile on her features as she played.

Diana made her way over to have a closer view of the show. The dark haired goddess knew from her talks with Clark that the blond’s smile hid a world of sadness, that only her long life and witnessing the horrors of war might begin to compare, and she couldn’t help but marvel at her strength.

After a few more minutes of super-powered playtimes, the owners eventually had to leave, leaving a happily waving Supergirl standing beside the beautiful, dark-haired woman.

Now alone, Diana took this chance to approach her.

“Hello Supergirl, my name is Diana Prince. I’m in National City to look for something, and in the past a mutual friend told me to look you up if I was ever in town,” she said, holding out a hand to shake.

The super’s face, still smiling, grew slightly more serious to the goddess’s experienced eye, a glimmer of curiosity paired with otherworldly intelligence gleaming beneath the blonde’s bubbly exterior.

“Nice to meet you Miss Prince. You say a mutual friend recommended we meet. Who might that be?” she said, shaking the offered hand.  
Diana let an amused smile cross her features before she answered.  
Hook, line and sinker.

“Your cousin, one Clark Kent. I have worked with him on quite a few occasions, maybe you’ve heard him mention me. I’m from Greece, though I work out of Paris.”  
  
It only took a moment for Supergirl to realize who she was talking to, and Diana could see her struggling to contain her excitement and remain calm. The princess couldn’t help but approve of this attempt at professionalism, however ineffectual it was proving to be, though she quickly found herself missing the blond’s previously carefree countenance.

“Well Miss Prince, how would you like to meet sometime so that we could talk more about what brings you to town?”  
  
“Thank you that would be perfect,” the warrior said with a smirk.  
“Do you have a phone on you?” asked the goddess, before a blur placed one in her hand, unlocked and ready with a new contact.

Diana took a few seconds to fill it out before holding it out to the other woman. When Supergirl reached out to take it, the Amazon kept hold of it for a moment, leaning close to the other woman before saying,  
“Be sure to call me...... Kara,” softly with a sultry smile and a wink.

She knew without looking as she walked away that she had left the woman a blushing mess and couldn’t help chuckling a little as she felt as much as heard Supergirl take off at speed.

The goddess had learnt in her long life to take pleasure as she found it, and Kara was undeniably attractive. She had also heard she was all but engaged to one Lena Luthor, who was drop dead gorgeous in her own right. If she could persuade the pair of them, then it would be a night to remember even for her.  
Perhaps more than a night, she mused. That spark of chemistry she had felt on speaking to the other woman left her feeling like she wouldn’t regret it if something deeper formed, and Lena Luthor was a someone the likes of whom you might meet once in a century, and she should know.  
Diana had not involved herself in romance in a long time, a _very_ long time in fact, but felt that, maybe, for those two, she might be willing to break that streak.

 _But let us not count our falcons before they hatch_ , she thought.

First a meeting with one, hopefully both of them.

With any luck they might know what had caused the surge, or know someone who does, or something that can help trace it to it’s source.

After that, well, she thought with a smile while looking at her phone, a woman can hope.

................

Sophia took a few moments to compose herself before entering the looming building in front of her. When she had arrived at L-corp several minutes ago, she couldn’t help but pause and stare at it. She had lived in National City a while now (though she couldn’t quite remember exactly how long that was now she thought about it) and was familiar enough with the structure. After all, you could hardly miss the massive skyscraper even if you knew nothing of what it represented. What had initially been an indicator of the Luthor’s tyrannical encroachment over the STEM world had soon become a symbol of hope under the Luthor heiress, who had saved the city, hell, even the world any number of times. Everyone knew of Lena Luthor, and her company. And by extension, her building.  
Where Sophia had an interview.  
In twenty minutes.

She still wasn’t entirely sure how that happened if she was honest.  
  
One moment she was in the process of celebrating her victory over the university board after they had agreed to pay her a positively exorbitant sum in order to avoid the wrath of Donna Troy, who’s very presence had caused some of the privileged old white men to whimper, _in addition_ to them paying the lawyer’s thoroughly justified legal fees, and the next she was getting a call from Samantha Arias, L-Corp’s CFO because they had somehow gotten hold of a list of exactly what R and D Sophia had done and had subsequently been stolen, and Ms Luthor? Had been impressed? And so had Ms Arias? And they wanted to interview her for a job?

  
  
Yeah, still very much confused on that one.

Sophia pulled out her phone to double check and, yep, there it was, an email requesting her presence for an interview. Still very much there. And requesting her presence in, huh, fifteen minutes now. When had that happened?  
  
Shaking her head, the grey-eyed woman took another deep breath, before approaching the building. She passed through the (very impressive and justifiably paranoid) security easily enough before approaching the front desk and getting the floor number. Luckily for Sophia’s stressed mind, she was expected, and with the help of a security guard swiping her in, was let into the elevator up to the corporate executive level, or the bosses’ house, according to the joking guard. He probably meant to set her at ease, so she gave him a weak smile as the elevator door closed.

A few short seconds later, they opened again to an if anything more intimidating sight.

As Sophia stepped out of elevator she was met by the burning glare of one Ms Jessica Hoang.

While perhaps not as widely renown as either Ms Luthor or Ms Arias, Jessica Hoang had if anything a more devoted fan-base, if much more secretive. Sophia had discovered this purely on accident while in discussion with several teacher’s aids at a night out some time ago, where they had got together with a group of secretaries and a couple of personal assistants.

The secretaries and PAs in question had been discussing their idols in their odd little sphere of the corporate world, and when her name had come up, every one of them had closed their eyes and, with a shudder, muttered a barely audible “Praise Be” and taken a drink with complete seriousness and no little awe. A bit of digging later (Sophia was nothing if not insatiably curious in all things) the grey-eyed researcher discovered that to personal assistants everywhere, there were some four names that were followed with a religious devotion. Each had a particular title, toast, and prayer associated with them, and every PA worth their salt devoted themselves not to join their number, but simply to be worthy of their time.

The list consisted of:

Kara Danvers (The Enduring) who had been assistant to Cat Grant for _years_ before changing profession, while others lasted days if that.

Erin Bakshi (The Powerful), PA to Oliver Queen and all the nonsense that entails, capable of overpowering her boss, his employees and the board of directors all at once.

Alfred Pennyworth (The All Knowing), butler to the Wayne Family who through insight and intellect ruled it with a silk-gloved fist of steel.

And of course, Jessica Hoang (The Judge), PA to Lena Luthor, who’s fierce loyalty and guardianship had helped keep the Luthor heiress alive through being related to the _other_ Luthors.

Sophia was a bit in awe of meeting her herself.

She also wondered if Ms. Hoang knew that there were shrines in her name under innumerable desks.

Probably not, she decided.

Ms Hoang was also probably unaware that people paid good money to be under her stare for even seconds and that a few discreet questions at the right S&M clubs could have someone impersonate her for a sizeable fee, which was also true of the other three.

Sometimes Sophia wished her research wasn’t quite as comprehensive as it was, she mulled while feeling like Jess was reading her very soul and found her lacking.

Trying to project inner calm she didn’t feel, the researcher approached the desk.  
  
Swallowing a little to wet her suddenly dry mouth, Sophia broke the silence.  
  
“Hi, I’m Sophia Tyto, here to see Ms Arias for her 3 o’clock?”

  
Her voice sounded just a bit too high pitched and it seemed to ring in the still air for a moment, before suddenly Ms Hoang (Praise Be, Sophia couldn’t help but add to her internal narrative) quirked an eyebrow and said,  
  
“I know. Ms Arias will be ready in 5 minutes,” with the certainty of someone who’s organisational skills bent probably millions of workers and billions of dollars to her will on a daily basis.

“Right. I’ll just wait here then,” the researcher said before seating herself on a couch intended for exactly that.

The Judge smiled slightly at her before saying, “Very good, Ms Tyto.”

Sophia couldn’t help but wish she had recorded that. Would have been worth a free round of drinks easily at any meet-ups in the future. Mind you, she thought, she could probably get that just for the story.

Flicking through a newspaper to pass the time, after almost exactly 5 minutes had passed (she had been timing), Ms Hoang received an intercom call to send her through, which she did simply by looking at the researcher and nodding.  
Taking her orders for what they were, Sophia got up and walked down the adjacent short hallway, quickly found the appropriate door and knocked, and entered on hearing the instruction to.

The office itself was a picture of professionalism, with elegant rugs and a few paintings on the wall providing a splash of colour to the otherwise black and off-white grey decor. Seated behind her desk was Ms Samantha Arias, CFO of L-Corp, close friends with Lena herself and a badass in her own right if even half the stories Sophia had heard where true, quite outside of her excellence in the corporate world. What she hadn’t realised was just how stunningly gorgeous the woman was. She’d seen pictures of course, why wouldn’t she research her prospective employer? But they really didn’t seem to do her justice. For one thing, Sophia noted, they totally missed the aura of command about the woman.

“.....Ms Tyto?”

Shit, the commanding gorgeous woman was talking to her, and had apparently walked around the desk to greet her in this time.

“Yes?”  
  
“Ah, there you are! Welcome back Ms Tyto,” the CFO said with a cheeky grin.

“Oh gods I’m so sorry-” the grey eyed woman babbled, horrified she had zoned out before greeting her potential boss.  
  
“Don’t worry about it, Ms Tyto-  
  
“Sophia. Call me Sophia,” she interrupted, then proceeded to be shocked she had done just that.

The brown haired executive didn’t seem to mind however, smiling again before continuing.  
  
“Sophia then. Nice to meet you Sophia!” Ms Arias said, holding out a hand, which the researcher shook, trying not to blush.

“Nice to meet you too, Ms Arias. It’s an honor really.”

The CFO only grinned in reply, before indicating that they both sit. Having done so, she spoke once more.

“So, Ms Luthor has informed me that you would be a valuable addition to our team, but I personally don’t know all that much about you. Tell me Sophia, what do you do?”

  
  
Sophia barely managed to contain a wince. There it was, half of the one question she didn’t want to hear, the very first question she’s asked.

“I’m a researcher, I also work in development.”  
  
“Oh, what field”

  
  
Annnnnnnd, there’s the other half.

“Currently I’m focused on physics and engineering.” The answer is taken for the half answer it is, causing the CFO to raise an eyebrow.

“Currently? What about in the past?”

Gods dammit.

“All of them?” the grey-eyed academic says tentatively, just barely managing not to squeak in the process.

“All of them?” Ms Arias asked, an amused smile on her perfect features.

“All of them.” Sophia said more confidently. If she was getting shot down, she might as well go down with a bang.

“And how have you worked in all of them?” The executive asked, curious despite herself.

“It’s a bit of a story,” the researcher warned.

“Screw it, I’ve got time,” Ms Arias said with a grin, before standing up and going to a cabinet, pulling out two glasses and pouring whisky into them from a crystal decanter.

The executive handed one to Sophia saying,“Here, looks like you could use it,” before returning to her seat.

Sophia took a sip, sighing at the taste of some damn fine whisky, before speaking.

“Well, Ms. Arias-  
  
“Please, call me Sam. I’m on break,” the CFO said with a wink.

“Well Sam,” Sophia said with a small laugh, “Honestly it just kind of happened. I was doing some work in the Maths department of NCU for a small personal project a few years back, and I wanted to do some stats work on it. So I headed over to that department, and noticed that some stats were off on some chemist’s project who were working there, but I also knew that I didn’t know enough chemistry to have the right context. So I studied some chemistry for like a week, then went to the department and gave them the right answer and went back to what I was trying to do. The next week or something, some engineers were working on something else, and it was wrong, so I did it again.”

At this point, Sam was struggling to keep a strait face as she recognized the first snowflakes before an avalanche in the story.

“Then it happened again in with some geneticists. Before long, I was being sought out by these departments, and others as a kind of trouble shooter. Then I was employed as a teacher’s aid by NCU while still doing work as a researcher.”  
  
Sam couldn’t hide her grin at this point.

“Wait you say you were employed by them, but did you ever actually attend the university?”

Sophia shrugged.

“Nope. Never even got a bachelors. Technically I’m still an undergrad.”  
Which statement caused the executive to start loudly cackling, tears streaming down her cheeks as she laughed.

“Oh, oh God, you’re another one, holy shit, no wonder Lena wanted you on board! You’re not just a Jill of All Trades, you mastered all of them to correct other people! Holy shit, this is fantastic!  
  
After a few minutes of solid laughing, Sam calmed down enough to ask another question.

“Now as far as I’m concerned this is the last question of the interview. Please I gotta know: Why, why did you do all this?”  
  
Sophia blinked at the question. Wasn’t it obvious?  
  
“They were wrong. I told them and they didn’t believe me. So I proved it,” she said simply.

Sam’s eyes were wide.  
  
“So wait, you wanted to prove them wrong, so you researched for a week as an undergrad and proved they were?”  
  
Sophia thought about this for a moment before saying, “Pretty much, yeah,” with another shrug.

This caused the executive to fall out of her chair laughing.

“Holy shit you mastered all those disciplines out of spite! Holy shit that’s amazing!”  
  
What followed was about 5 minutes of Sophia sitting in her chair, feeling more than a little awkward and still waiting on the results of the interview while the executive struggled to calm herself before bursting out laughing again.

“Oh God. Oh God that’s gold. Holy shit,” Sam said, finally catching her breath, wiping a tear from her eye.

The CFO took a couple of deep breaths, before turning to the uncomfortable interviewee and saying  
“You’re hired!” with a bright grin on her face.

“Um, thanks?”

What followed was a bit of a blur to Sophia. When she arrived home somehow (something involving Ms Arias’s Driver?) there was a package waiting for her containing her contract as a generalist (“I don’t know exactly what we’ll be doing with you, but damned if we won’t find something!”) that Sam had had the lawyers draw up.

As the grey-eyed woman went to bed that night, she couldn’t help but feel some disbelief over the events of the day. But hey, she got the job right? Even if she wasn’t entirely sure what the job was.

She also got to make a drop-dead gorgeous woman cry with laughter.  
  
She felt pretty proud about that one, Sophia thought with a wistful sigh before falling asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honestly, this is one of my favorite chapters, and I'm seriously thinking about writing a spin-off about the 4 at this point.   
> Erin Bakshi I strait up invented, but I figured a badass Indian woman that had the dubious honor of wrangling Oliver Queen seemed like too fun an idea to pass up. Same with Kara having a secret cult worshiping her as Kara.   
> Thoughts on a spin off?
> 
> Anyways, thanks for reading as always, and for kudos and comments, they give me life <3  
> Stay safe all!


	18. Gambling Is More Fun With The House On Your Side

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The aftermath of Hestia and Eliza's taste-test/experiment, and some of the reactions to it.

**Chapter 18: Gambling Is More Fun With The House On Your Side**

So, in fairness, Eliza hadn’t really expected much to happen when she had Hestia eat some of her distilled fire. You know, glowing, maybe bright lights or something.

Therefore it came as something of a surprise that her daughter had barely tasted it only after saying a very final ‘I love you’ and then promptly collapsed on the ground.

 _Oh shit, what have I done?!  
  
_Eliza’s encroaching catastrophizing was cut short however, by Hestia’s otherwise still form levitating three feet off the floor and catching fire.

The motherly goddess watched blankly as the flames licked her daughters skin, and slowly but surely her skin began to glowing red and orange, first gently, then gradually becoming blinding as the skin cracked like crumbling ceramic, allowing brighter light still to blaze through the breaks.  
Eliza watched, and wished and hoped, knowing that praying would be fruitless as shards of her daughters skin fell from her burning form before becoming ash a foot from the floor.

In what felt like mere moments all Hestia’s skin was only so much ash on the kitchen floor, the flesh underneath blazing like coals and her hair forming a literally fiery halo around her head.

.................

In his bed, Zeus woke with a jolt, a snarl painting his features as a wave of power washed over him.  
It’s flavour was unmistakeable: subtle, but with a faint hint of wood smoke and roasting meat and vegetables.

Hestia was back, in all her meddling glory.

His scowl grew deeper. Hestia was normally a neutral party to the politics of Olympus, adored by all, but she had been growing increasingly dissatisfied with his management of the mortal worlds before the warring brat betrayed them all.

Just what he needed, another player at the table.  
He could only hope that whoever the new threat was, Hestia didn’t join their side first.

He would have to put some of his own pieces on the board sooner than he’d like at this rate.

.................

Morning prayers made little sense to a goddess, and so the prayers of her childhood had been replaced by meditation some decades ago.  
And so, as she had been doing every day for what felt like several lifetimes, Diana had been sitting in the dawn light, eyes closed as she centered herself, when she felt something she had felt some weeks ago.

Well, not quite.

This echo of power was far more subtle, subdued even, lacking the wild strength of the wave that had her leave Paris in the first place.  
It came from..... over there, her eyes being drawn along where the coast line should be.  
There really wasn’t a whole lot in that direction, if she recalled her study of the state’s geography from her search for the source of the first wave.

Really only a small town, by the seaside.  
Funnily enough, also the town where Kara Danvers’ mother lived, where she had been told to visit in a few days time.

Midvale, she believed it was called.  
Diana’s long life had taught her that these things were rarely a coincidence.  
Somehow, the goddess thought with a smile, this visit might be a lot more interesting than she had first anticipated.

.................

Just as suddenly as the fire and floating had started, it ended.  
Hestia’s skin cooled to a healthy pink in a split second, her fire going out as she dropped to the ground with a loud thump before Eliza had had time to realize what had happened let alone catch her.

The sound of her daughter hitting the floor jolted the mother into action, speeding to her still form and searching her for any sign of injury. She had just gone to check her pulse when Hestia bolted upright, eyes wide before a racking cough shook her small form causing Eliza to hold her close.  
  
_Oh thank fuck she’s alive!  
  
_When the coughing fit finally ended, Hestia looked up at Eliza’s worried face and smiled weakly before saying,

“I don’t suppose I could have a glass of water could I? That stuff packs a punch,” causing Eliza to start laughing in shear relief before fetching the desired glass.

After aiding her in drinking the water, Eliza helped settle Hestia beside her hearth, fussing over the little goddess who just sat there and enjoyed the attention for a while. Finally, after Hestia told her mother she was fine for the umpteenth time, Eliza finally settled beside her and an awkward silence descended. This lasted some minutes, what had just happened hanging heavily in the air before at last the mother spoke.

“Hestia, what just happened?” She asked nervously. Guilt had already began to claw at her. If she had hurt her daughter in any way....

“Eliza, it’s fine,” Hestia said with a kind smile, reading her mood.

“So, I’m going to break this down, just so we’re clear. And I want you to just sit and listen to me OK?”

Eliza nodded in response. That was the least she could do.

“Eliza, when you thought you were making ambrosia, you didn’t _just_ make ambrosia. You got the first part right, you are supposed to distill divine essence. But what you did was different on a fundamental scale. Normally ambrosia is made by distilling just a deity’s own essence. You on the other hand, did something I’ve never seen before, something that really shouldn’t be possible:  
You distilled the divine essence of the sky, the earth and everything in between as well as your own,” Hestia said with an awed voice, before she caught her mother’s face looking guilty once more.  
  
“Hey, stop that right now! I knew what I was doing when I consumed some of that. Admittedly, I didn’t think it would be quite that drastic, but I thought it would give me a bit of a boost. And I was right!” The little goddess said with a bright laugh that brought a smile to Eliza’s face.

“Eliza, look at me. What do you see?” Hestia asked with a pointed look.

The mother goddess took a moment to observe her daughter. She looked the same as she always did, right?

Wait, no, not quite.  
It was subtle but it was there. Hestia had always looked beautiful, her olive skin unblemished, but now it had an unearthly beauty to it, like an inner glow. It looked...

It looked sculpted.

Eliza’s jaw dropped a little as it hit her.

“You, you’ve changed! B-but how? Weren’t you already a goddess?” the mother stammered out in shock.

Hestia grinned before shaking her head.

“Yes and no. I am a goddess, as are my sisters but do you remember me saying that being reborn is hard work? That I only just pulled it off with your help, my death having scattered me through time and space?” Hestia asked. Eliza nodded her recollection, so she continued.  
  
“Well I really wasn’t kidding. Being only just reborn with only a fraction of my essence, I had only a bare portion of my power. But now, with you giving me pure divine power...”  
  
Hestia couldn’t help her wide grin as she watched Eliza’s eyes grow wide, the pieces falling into place.  
  
“You’re whole...” The mother breathed, before she started laughing.  
  
Hestia nodded, grin bright and skin now glowing with her own inner light, red and orange like a flickering heath fire. Eliza snatched her daughter up in a fierce hug, tears in her eyes as they both laughed, spinning them both around, giddy with joy.

After they both settled, Hestia let out a sigh before speaking again, her voice pensive.

“It was a risk to be sure. I thought that I might be reborn, and I was more or less right on that count, but I didn’t know if I would come back as, well, me. I thought I would, hoped I would, but didn’t know for sure. That’s why I...”  
  
“You said you loved me. You were saying goodbye.” Eliza felt a lump settle in her throat as her daughter nodded.  
  
Suddenly furious, the mother picked up a cushion and started hitting Hestia with it.  
  
“Hey, what-”  
  
“Don’t you dare do that to me! Don’t do that to me and your sisters! Don’t you dare scare us like that!”

the angry mother said over the girl’s protestations, tears in her eyes, before wrapping the little goddess in a bone-crushing hug.  
  
_It’s just as well I have my power back in full_ , Hestia thought with a little smile as she hugged her mother back, _or I might not have survived this._

Both of them were startled by a voice coming from the kitchen.  
  
“Mom? Big sis? What’s going on, where are guys? Why is there ash in the kitchen?  
And – _Holy shit why is the pancake mix glowing?!”  
_The mother and her eldest daughter laughed hearing the shock in Heather’s voice before Eliza called out to her.  
  
“We’re in here Heather!”  
  
Heather sped around into the next room and gaped at her sister’s change.  
  
“Hestia? What happened? _How?!_ ” She yelled.

Some time, explanations, yelling, and hitting with a pillow later saw the three of them sitting at the table, soon joined by a sleepy Phoebe seeking cuddles. She received a somewhat calmer explanation, and replied only by nodding at Eliza, and hugging her sister.

 _Is it strange that I find having such a calm daughter strange?_ Eliza thought as she served out the golden pancakes, before shrugging.  
It definitely had it’s perks, and she loved her daughter regardless.

Somewhere in the sea of explanations, the two more talkative of her daughters had clarified that the pancakes should be safe for them all to eat without undergoing any more changes, though they’ll get a bit of a buzz. They were essentially ambrosia, just perhaps a bit stronger having been ‘blessed’ with Eliza’s personal brand of divine fire.

She had also been informed that she shouldn’t use the mixing bowl or wooden spoon she had used to mix it for anything but the divine food as they actually _were_ divine artefacts through proximity and use. Her daughters had been very clear on this:  
Unless she wanted to accidentally bestow untold blessings, power or potentially just death on whoever ate the food, it was best that they were either kept for private use or destroyed.

While the thought of blessing her mortal daughters was a nice one, Eliza reckoned they would probably like to consent to it first.  
So Eliza, having conceded the point and grinning at the spectacle, had fit the two cooking utensils just barely into the family safe, lacking a safer place to put them.

_My first divinely blessed objects are the bowl and wooden spoon I used to make my pancakes._

_What even is my life?_ the mother thought wryly as she closed the safe door. _  
_

It had been decided that any restoration of godly essence to Eliza’s other divine daughters would take place after the guests had left; probably in the following time around Christmas as there was no definite knowledge as to how long it would take or what effect it might have on the surroundings, which might be difficult to cover up. Eliza was not yet very skilled in having the world conform to her will through simply willing it, and Hestia was still new to having them back (“Think of it like suddenly getting Superman’s strength. Way too hard to control, and definitely needs practise,” she had explained) so there was no-one there who could help them to clean up if the restoration was too conspicuous.

So, lacking anything more urgent to do, Eliza set them up with a less dramatic breakfast, storing the softly glowing pancakes in the safe and started getting the house ready for her girls to arrive.

(Apparently Ambrosia didn’t go off, which was nice.)

Soon enough, a loud knocking on the front door was heard, signalling the arrival of the first group of guests. Phoebe looked up at her mother, her impassive face somehow nervous, causing Eliza to smile to reassure her. The mother looked over at Heather, who nodded and came and hugged her sister, while she left to answer the door.

Standing in front of it, Eliza took a few deep breaths to try and calm her own slightly frayed nerves, before opening the door. Waiting outside it was Maggie and Alex, who had her hand raised to knock again. The pair of them froze in shock, looking at Eliza’s changed form, eyes wide and mouths hanging open.  
  
Eliza grew more nervous as the seconds past and the silence grew until finally Maggie broke it with a low wolf-whistle before saying, “Damn, Dr Danvers! You look good!” causing the mother to laugh and shaking Alex out of her shock.

“Holy shit Mom! What did they do at that health spa, and where can I get some?”  
  
Eliza smiled, before saying, “Good to see you too, girls. Come on in!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bit on the smaller side this time, sorry dear readers :/  
> I'd offer another chapter, but I really wanna keep the buffer up cause I'm having some pretty massive writer's block around this fic.  
> *Side eyes the pile of fics I've been spending time on instead of this*  
> Still, hope you enjoyed it :)  
> Kudos and Comments are always welcome, and massive thanks to all my readers, new and old both <3


	19. Meet The (New) Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> First meeting of Alex, Kara, and crew and the new sisters

**Chapter 19: Meet The (New) Family**

Eliza met her first born daughter in a big hug, grateful that her strength had an innate dampener on it when not required so as not to crush her. It was still cause for comment however.

“Wow Mom, you’ve clearly been working out on top of that health spa!” Alex laughed, a little breathless after what she felt was a crushing hug.

Eliza laughed as she welcomed Maggie with a hug as well, earning a comment of, “Damn Eliza, you have a licence for those guns?” Earning a laugh from her fiancée and a blush from her mother who huffed “Oh quiet you!” in false annoyance, before leading the pair to the end of the hallway where she stopped them.

“Now, I have some family I would like you to meet,” the mother began. This caught the pair’s attention, Alex looking suddenly nervous to her experienced eyes, and Maggie holding her arm for reassurance.

“They’ve been looking forward to meeting you, and are probably just as nervous as you are Alex. You’ll be fine, honey,” Eliza finished warmly.

Alex looked at her gratefully, before taking a steadying breath and nodding. Eliza smiled, then led the pair in into the lounge where the trio of goddesses where waiting.

Seated on the couch beside the fireplace was a young woman and two girls, who Alex could immediately identify as her new sisters from their description.

Suddenly feeling more shy than ever, Alex raised a hand in a small wave before saying:  
  
“Erm, Hi. I’m Alex. I guess I’m your big sister?” making it sound more like a question and making Maggie chuckle a little at her side.

This statement (question?) was immediately followed by a sprinting mass of little girl tackling her around the waist, nearly knocking Alex off her feet as she tried to manage the new weight.Upon further inspection, the mass resolved itself into the beaming grin of a fiery red head who said,

“Hi Big Sister! I’m Hestia, your new little sister!” Before resuming her hug and causing all the adults to laugh.

“Nice to meet you Hestia, I’m Maggie, Alex’s fiancée,” Maggie said with a little wave, earning her a comet to the chest in turn.

The ice now thoroughly broken by the child’s antics, the woman approached the pair, smiling in greeting.

“Nice to meet you, Alex and Maggie. I’m Heather, I guess I’m your little sister too?” The brunette said with a wry smile.

“Damn strait!” The director said with a grin, hugging the eldest of her new family who squeaked in surprise.  
This was followed by a hug from Maggie commenting, “Don’t you know? It’s always hugs with the Danvers. Don’t worry though, I’m a newbie too, we can learn together,” which received a grateful smile in reply.  
  
Heather had known in theory that the Danvers were a very tactile family, but after millennia of her her previous family, even knowing this didn’t stop her surprise at how matter of fact it all was.  
You are family = hugs.  
It was an equation she was still very much getting used to, though, she thought with a smile, one she very much enjoyed.

After meeting the first two came what everyone there knew Alex was really looking forward to:

Meeting Phoebe

Alex approached the third (and somehow already her favorite) of her new sisters slowly, keeping her body language open and hands where the little girl could see them. It was in fact how she had been trained to approach victims of attacks or kidnapping. Much as she was a little sad that she was well practiced in using this in her work, it was knowledge Alex was happy to have now, arriving beside the girl and kneeling softly at her feet. She noted her new sister’s choice of clothing, looking like a commando in the making, all durable, breathable fabrics in black and grey, from her singlet and unbuttoned flannel shirt, to her cargo pants and combat boots.

She looked like any member of the director’s elite team, only smaller, and the sight melted whatever little resistance Alex had left.

“Hi there,” the elite soldier said with a softness that would shock her co-workers.  
“I’m Alex. You’re Phoebe right?” she said, pausing for a moment to allow the auburn haired child to nod in reply.

“It’s nice to meet you. Would you like a hug, or would you prefer a hand shake?”  
The question seemed to surprise the girl, before she looked grateful and held out her hand.

Alex grinned internally as she shook Phoebe’s hand. She could do this.  
  
“I understand you have trouble speaking, yes?” which received a cautious nod from the girl.

Time for her secret weapon. She had found it at a book-store, and thought it was perfect, and hadn’t even told Maggie to keep it a surprise.

“Well, I’ve got a little present for you, to start making up for all the birthdays and Christmases I’ve missed,” Alex said before reaching into her leather jacket and pulling out a small rectangular present.

“Here, Merry Christmas!” The big sister said to her new little sister, passing her the first of many presents to come.

Phoebe took the present cautiously, a slight narrowing of her eyes indicating her disbelief, before turning to Eliza, eyes asking permission. Eliza nodded, smiling warmly at her daughter and said, “Go on dear, open your first present.”

Eliza had known that the little goddess would have trouble with gifts, her having fought Eliza on even gifting her the most basic necessities, and it had taken all of the mother’s persuasive power to convince her that she was allowed them at all. Thankfully, that was a battle already fought, and permission was something she was only too happy to give the formerly neglected child. Having received permission, Phoebe pulled a large folding knife from _somewhere,_ startling those not used to the tiny hunter’s habits, and began to carefully slice through the tape, allowing her to remove the wrapping paper cleanly, revealing a book.

The book was titled: ASL for absolute beginners  
  
Seeing the girl’s look of confusion, Alex looked back at the book and answered her unspoken question.  
  
“This is a book to teach you how to speak with your hands, ASL stands for American Sign Language. I learnt how to use it a long time ago, so I’m pretty rusty, but I thought that if you had trouble speaking, maybe speaking with your hands might be easier?” She finished with a question, before turning back to the girl.

Phoebe’s face was shocked, and Alex started to panic as the girl’s eyes began to tear up, before her breath left her in a huff as her youngest sister tackled her in a hug.

Maggie watched the pair with a massive smile on her face, proud of how thoughtful her love had been, while Eliza shook her head ruefully, even as she smiled proudly in turn. The mother knew she had been too focused on all of the divine influence going on. Trust Alex, her mortal, human, _extraordinary_ daughter to come up with such a life changing option closer to home.

Heather and Hestia looked at each other and grinned. Yeah, they really, really liked their new big sister, the pair decided silently, watching as Alex held her youngest sibling, holding her close and rubbing her back.

After a few minutes more, Phoebe began squirming, quickly extracting herself from her new big sister’s arms and opened the book to the back, finding a word index which she quickly used to find what she wanted before moving in front of Alex and moving her hands in a clear pattern.

Alex may have been rusty at her ASL, but that was a word that she definitely still recognised:  
“ _Thank-you.”  
  
_ The grinning big sister warmly replied: “You are most welcome, little sis!”

The next few hours saw Alex and Phoebe seated in front of the fire, going through a basic set of phrases, including introducing the girl to the concept of name signs. While they are used in larger communities of deaf people as a whole as a sign to indicate a specific person, having one used among family was also common, or so the book explained. This led to a rush amongst the new siblings to find one which could describe themselves. In the end, they went with what worked. Alex used the sign for ‘A’ and a gun, Maggie an ‘M’ and dimples, Hestia an ‘H’ and Fire, Heather an ‘H’ with flower, Phoebe a ‘P’ with the moon and Eliza an E with the sign for mother. The mother in question initially wanted to use ‘doctor’, or maybe ‘science’, but was overruled by her daughters, something they took great pleasure in.

Regardless of this, Eliza took great pleasure in watching her daughters interact, especially seeing Phoebe so excited, the normally stoic child practically vibrating as she learnt a new way to speak to the world. The little goddess's eyes were laser focused on the book in front of her as she sat in Alex’s lap, the sister’s hands flickering rapidly as they practised this new speech.

The mother knew that she would have a lot of catching up to do, but didn’t think she could be more proud of her eldest, and had to calm herself every few minutes to stop herself glowing or worse, floating.

It was a lot more challenging than she had first anticipated, something Hestia commiserated with her about, the little goddess struggling to contain her divine nature in light of the familial warmth flooding the house. The pair of them retreated into the kitchen after a while to prepare the meal for the evening, and vent a little of their glowing outside of the more mortal company. It wasn’t that it was painful, Eliza reflected as she deftly diced vegetables for roasting. More that containing the light and fire was uncomfortable. Like a mixture of the start of the eye burn you get from staring at a screen too long and wearing clothing that never settles quite right from being the wrong size or just a little itchy. Not painful, but distracting and you’d certainly prefer it to stop.

It had reached early afternoon, and the mother and daughter had long since finished their preparations for a sizeable dinner and desert so inevitably found themselves mingling with the others once more. This was delightful of course, and theoretically Eliza couldn’t be happier with the situation.  
Except, of course, that the niggling discomfort of restraining her divine nature was constantly making itself known to her so she could never fully relax. She could get away with venting it a little in town where the ambient light would mask it with relative ease. Much of this could be attributed to simple human nature, where people saw what they expected to see, which certainly wasn’t glowing. Her divine beauty also unexpectedly helped with this, people she knew complimenting her on how healthy her skin was, how it glowed. The fact that it was literally glowing was something that skated across their minds like butter across a hot pan: dismissed as an impossibility, and soon disappearing, forgotten.

However, this would never work on Alex, nor Maggie for that matter, let alone Kara, Lena, and Winn. All of them were far too used to encountering the previously impossible to simply dismiss it, and far too observant to not notice it.

Leaving restraining it the only option.

  
Which, Eliza reflected, sucked.

Sucked a whole lot, in fact.

Eliza knew that keeping her newly divine nature a secret from her daughters was probably the best thing for now, at least until she knew more about the full scope of her capabilities and had better control of them, but as the day grew on and the discomfort grew Eliza couldn’t escape the sensation that she was lying to her girls by omission, and to herself by restraining it.  
Now she knew a bit of how Kara felt everyday, and by her reckoning the mother owed her Kryptonian daughter a whole lot of something, love at the very least, to make up for the strain simple living must place on her.  
No sooner had this thought crossed her the sound of all too familiar laughter caught her enhanced hearing, followed shortly by the sound of a car pulling into the driveway and knocking on the door.

Eliza smiled as she rose to open the front door and braced herself. This proved prudent as her second eldest daughter came all but literally flying through it to tackle her into a hug.

“Hi Eliza! Oh my Rao, you look amazing! That health spa worked wonders on you!!” The large humanoid ball of sunshine babbled, much to the spectators enjoyment.

“Kara’s right, you look fantastic Eliza!” said Lena, stepping inside and hugging her the mother tightly.

“Wow, no kidding! I might have to sign up for a session. God only knows I’ve got enough savings to pamper myself,” said Winn with a laugh as he stepped up and received his hug in turn.

Eliza was finding it particularly straining to hold back her light as she basked in the affection of the new arrivals, so was pleased when Kara interrupted the moment as she began bouncing up and down saying,  
  
“Eliza, can I go meet my new sisters? Please?” before putting on her most devastating of puppy eyes.

Lena and Winn laughed at this while Eliza just smiled.  
“She’s been like this all morning, best get it over with,” Lena said with a loving smile at her girlfriend.

“She hasn’t been this excited since they opened a bakery on the same block as her apartment,” Winn commented with a chuckle.

The mother gave a short chuckle, before shaking her head ruefully and saying:  
“Well, far be it from me to stop you. But Kara,” she said, face turning serious for a moment.  
“Try and take it easy on Phoebe OK? She’ll be happy to meet you, but she’s very shy and wary of new people as a rule. Just, be gentle OK?” the mother asked earnestly, and let out a small sigh of relief when her excitable daughter nodded with a smile of understanding.

“All right, off you go then!” Eliza said with a chuckle, before the bouncing blond gave a short “Yay!!” and sped off (at just over human speeds) to find her new sisters, leaving the remaining trio chuckling in the entrance way before Eliza led them into the kitchen, taking each of their coats to hang up and making them take off their shoes first. Which, the mother noted with a chuckle, Kara had done before she had left, probably with super speed from how the laces on her shoes looked a little singed.

......................

Phoebe looked up from her study of the book ( _warm yet shy smile, smell of gunpowder, leather and lavender, short red hair like mine)_ Alex had given her, hearing a rapid footsteps approaching down the hallway.

She liked her new sister, and her _(Swans, wolves, barn owls with their mates)_ long-partner?

Her mate, Maggie.

They were quiet, but _(hunting tigers, coiled snakes, bear lifting a great rock)_ **strong**.

Phoebe knew strong.

It was what she was, would be.

And, seeing this new smiling blond woman, what this person **absolutely was**.

Phoebe placed her hand on where her nearest knife was and readied herself for a fight she was definitely going to lose to defend her pack when, to her amazement, the powerful smiling woman crouched down in front of her, her hands up and palms wide open.

Nervousness. Friendly. Kind. Curious. Caution.

The little huntress tilted her head in confusion.

The smiling woman took this moment to start speaking and, as per usual, the words took a short moment for them to form the images she could understand.  
  
“Hello. My name is Kara. I’m your new sister.”  
  
The powerful woman spoke with affection in her voice.  
Kindness. Love.

Uncertainty?  
  
Phoebe found herself blinking for a moment before understanding dawned.

This powerful creature was part of their pack.

**Part of Her pack.**

And wanted Phoebe to like her.

The small goddess felt suddenly very shy in front of this strong, kind, woman.

No.  
Strong Kind Sister.  
Kara.

Phoebe slowly eased her posture, before signing something she had learnt specifically for meeting this newcomer.

“ _Hello, Sister. My name is (P with a Moon) or P-H-O-E-B-E.”_

There was short gasps around her, but Phoebe was focused on only one thing:  
This powerful, bright creature smiling softly and signing back.  
  
 _“Hello Phoebe. I’m your sister, and I love you.”_

Before wrapping the little girl in a warm, soft, **strong** hug.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First part of the incoming Christmas schnanigans!  
> Hope y'all enjoy :)  
> As always, kudos and comments are more than welcome!  
> All the best, and stay safe all <3


	20. Bonding Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bonding time for the newly established family, Christmas eve part 2

**Chapter 20: Bonding Time**

Kara had been so excited to meet her new sisters, and her optimistic scenario had if anything proved to be an understatement of the reality. Phoebe was absolutely adorable in a way that made Kara want to spoil her in every way possible. Night time flights, taking her on holidays to all parts of the world, oooo, wait, Food tours of Europe and Asia!

No one could say no to that!

Heather would probably also really like it! Nothing like a series of amazing meals all over the world to take your mind off a bad breakup after all, the ever-hungry blond thought philosophically.

Heather seemed the thoughtful type, someone great to just chill with, and to vent to after a hard day of work.  
And Hestia! If Phoebe was the sister she wanted to spoil, then the fiery little red head was the one she wanted to prank Alex with, and bake with, and go shopping with! No, wait! Arcades!  
They were going to have so much fun!

The Kryptonian could barely keep herself from vibrating off the floor, wanting to be everywhere at once and do everything with her new sisters.

It really was fortunate, the blond reporter reflected, that they were meeting for the first time on Christmas eve. It gave them the perfect chance to meet each other, find out what they all like and dislike and just enjoy each others company. And to enjoy Danvers family traditions, like Christmakah! That thought made Kara pause for a moment.

She hadn’t noticed much going on to celebrate the religious side of things now she thought about it. Maybe they were taking the year off to help ease the new girls into the family, sticking with the more tried and true all American presents and food so divorced from the holiday’s religious origins?  
It would make sense, Kara thought as she enjoyed her umpteenth cup of hot chocolate while playing Uno with Hestia, Heather and Alex. Then again, the superheroine thought wryly, there were some Danvers family traditions that she would have been perfectly happy to skip.

“Betrayal! How could you Alex!” Kara pouted as her big sister added yet another +4 to the stack, leaving her to draw a full 12 cards.  
  
“Sorry sis, turns out the saying was wrong. It turns out the full saying is ‘all is fair in love, war and Uno!’” Alex said before cackling and fist-bumping the other two players.

The other two made the barest attempt to look innocent before going for a sneaky low five.  
Much as Kara couldn’t help feel a little put upon even as she played her card for the turn, she was glad everyone was enjoying themselves.

Heather in particular.

When she had thought that her new family might have needed easing into it, that had went doubly for Heather, the eldest of the three newcomers. While the other two had had major life upheavals, Heather had also had to experience the betrayal that came with a cheating partner, and the loss of security from that relationship and all it had entailed to her.  
That was why an hour or so after the delicious dinner that Eliza and Hestia had prepared (turns out that the little spit-fire was also basically a professional chef. Who knew?), Kara wasn’t all that surprised to find the brunette seated on the deck outside, well bundled up in a coat, hat and scarf and looking a bit lost and more than a little sad as she stared up at the sky above.

The night air was certainly cold enough for it, at least for the humans among them, the blond woman thought as she retrieved her own coat to cover for the fact that she didn’t really feel it. Well that and Lena had bought her one that was really cuddly and soft, and had a nice fluffy collar, and besides, even if she didn’t really feel the cold, that didn’t mean she didn’t prefer being warm, she reasoned as she stepped out into the winter night.

The sound of the opening door was loud enough, but Kara could tell Heather hadn’t noticed it, nor had she noticed the blond woman move to sit beside her. Not wanting to bother her new little sister, Kara sat beside her quietly and joined her in looking up at the sky. She found herself looking for Krypton, as she always did. The heir of the house of El knew it was only a matter of time before the light of the planet that was was no longer in the sky. She knew that she would be alive even then, however many hundreds of years that took to happen, the light of Sol gifting her a life theoretically as long as that of the star itself, with all she knew or had loved long buried.  
But all of that only made Kara treasure the moments she had with her loved ones that much more.  
And a big part of that, for her, was spending time with them.

After some time had passed, Heather must have noticed her and spoke, her quiet voice loud in the silence barely broken by the distant waves.

“The stars are beautiful. They were beautiful, the are and they will be beautiful for untold years to come. Eternal witnesses to all they see. They say, in Ancient Greece, if the gods favoured you and you caught their notice. If you were strong enough, brave enough, or unlucky enough to be beautiful enough, then the Gods would speak to you, dance with you, fight with you, sleep with you. And when you died, if they deemed you truely exceptional, they could place you among the stars.”

The last was said with a wistful sigh, Kara’s new little sister’s gaze not shifting from the jeweled sky above.

Kara knew this story of course. Alex and Jeremiah (before they were caught, before he was taken, before Cadmus stole him away once more, before, before) had made a point of teaching her human astronomy, constellations and the stories attached to them. And Humans weren’t alone in this, Kryptonians too had their own stories, of Flamebird and Nightwing, of Kthara after whom she was named, of the war of Cythonna and Roa himself.

Explanations for the inexplicable.

Heathers voice had a weight to it, a bearing that spoke of ages past and ages passing, and the Kryptonian had to remind herself that that she was in fact the older one here. The reporter turned to her little sister and saw her face was grave and wistful and somehow tired. So very tired.

Kara wanting to cheer the brunette up, let her thoughts drift to find a happier place and replied.  
  
“I think the Gods must have really, truly wanted to honour those they placed in the sky. After all, if you’re a God then that was a way that they could be with you forever. That’s really nice.”

Heather seemed to think on that, finally turning to look at her sister with a slightly sad expression, still looking like she knew too much, had seen too much.

“Of course, there were other ways humans could stay with the Gods,” Kara continued. “The myths speak of Zeus being able to grant immortality, though I could never figure out if the rest of the gods could do that too.”

Kara noticed the brunette’s eyes grow wide for some reason before her face grew carefully neutral, even as the reporter continued talking.

“All the gods got to hang out on Olympus too, which seems really cool! They can spend as long as they want, doing whatever they want, with all the food you could ever eat!” Kara exclaimed, sounding more than a little excited about that last point in particular, much to Heather’s amusement.

Kara had just started listing dishes she could eat forever (with repeated mentions of potstickers and ice-cream) when her little sister broke and started laughing at the blond glutton’s antics, her bright laugh ringing in the still night.

After Heather was finally able to catch her breath, she turned to her blond big sister, grinning as she wiped a tear from her eye.

“Oh shit, I needed that,” she said with a more restrained chuckle.  
“Thanks big sis.”  
  
Kara met the troubled brunettes eyes, matching grin for grin.

“Any time, little sis!” she said before meeting her with a hug.

......................

Lena Luthor was a genius. This was an objective fact.

That being said, having a genius intellect was something that didn’t affect her day to day life, aside from her work of course (her close friends would argue that most of her life did, in fact, consist of her work, but they were working to fix that).

Knowing how to do to complex calculus in ones own head, or knowing the intricate detailing of every piece of cutting edge engineering that happened in L-Corp and actively working to improve them, didn't help much with things like, for example, fixing herself a cup of hot chocolate.

A detailed knowledge of biochemical minutia did not help with navigating a living room filled with laughter as her partner’s sister and fiancée played games with their newly adopted sisters without spilling said hot chocolate all over them.

In spite of these failings, Lena found she didn’t mind this.

Her powerful intellect, a source of much of her strength and most of her sorrow, had in no way prepared her for a happy family gathering. No, the only thing that might do that was experience, and her own childhood (hell, her adulthood too) provided little of that. It was a social failing that Lena attributed entirely to the Luthor name, and one she was all too happy to be rid of, she reflected as she took a sip of the delicious brew.

She took a moment to take in the scene in front of her, the happy laughter, free and intimate body contact in the form of brushes, hair-ruffling and many, many hugs. Observed it like the outsider she had always been, but at least this time it was by choice. Another attribute of her socially stunted upbringing was a low tolerance for active social interaction, Lena being about as introverted as it was possible to be, not that you would ever be able to tell at a board meeting or gala.

The green-eyed CEO smiled into her cup.

She had always heard the term ‘opposites attract’ and damned if that didn’t hold true for her and Kara. She chuckled a little. About as opposite as it was possible to be.

Introvert and extrovert. Untrusting and guarded vs a human-shaped ball of sunshine.  
A Luthor and a Super.

But it had worked out, despite, or perhaps because of the many bumps in the road, shaking both of their sensibilities to the point where they could truly empathise with each other’s position.

And now, Lena got to enjoy the fruits of this labour.

She smiled fondly as she watched the group, taking another sip of the drink (seriously, she was going to have to buy this recipe off Eliza, she was becoming hooked on it).

Alex, so stern and strong, jealously guarding her sister against the horrors of human-kind. Once Lena’s biggest opposition, now a friendly rival on game-nights and one of the closest confidants the Luthor had ever had.

Maggie, quick with her mouth, her gun, and her mind. The detective (whatever her rank, Lena always thought of her as ‘the detective’) had won Lena’s hard earned trust by supporting her and Kara getting together, providing encouragement even when she and Alex had separated for that period.

Winn, the bookish biggest nerd that Lena had possibly ever encountered without looking in a mirror. He never hesitated to forget Lena’s family in favour of geeking out about whatever development L-Corp had come up with this time, and Lena would be forever grateful for it.

And of course Kara’s new sisters.

(New family for her too, smirked a plotting little part of her brain, ever ready with rings, flowers, music and ready to ring up a celebrant and get those papers signed on a moments notice)

Phoebe was adorable, there was no doubting that. She was cute in the way a tiger cub was cute:  
you knew that even now they could hurt you, and would grow into something lethal, but damned if you didn’t want to hug it anyway. And hug it when it was grown too, probably.

Her new found fervor in learning ASL to help overcome her mutism only made her more endearing.

Heather, who Lena noted idly was absent, was also lovely. The young woman had clearly gone through a lot, yet seemed to come out of it stronger and wiser than her age might suggest. Lena only wished she could have helped earlier, but she seemed to be in good hands with Eliza, the raven haired woman reflected.

She would have to get the name of her ex’s company, see if she could buy them out or bury them as needed. Heather was family, however new. And possibly the only thing that Luthor and Danvers clans would ever agree on is you don’t mess with family.

Finally there was Hestia.

Lena felt her thoughts stutter a little as she observed the mischievous girl, watching her laugh triumphantly as she won yet another board game.

The fiery red-head was a beautiful little girl there was no doubt about that. But Lena, what with being a Luthor and all, and exceptionally intelligent even in that select group, found something strange about that. The CEO was incapable of turning her brain off, of not noticing things.

And she was starting to Notice things about this girl.

Like the way she had pristine skin. How her hair didn’t seem to like gravity very much, having far more bounce to it than _any_ hair should have. Like how the shadows cast around the group didn’t seem to match the light source of the roaring fire and dim lounge lighting.

Like how Hestia herself appeared to be a secondary light source.

The green-eyed woman’s first thought was that Eliza had adopted another alien. After all, it wouldn’t even be her first right?

But some part of her knew this wasn’t quite right.

Some part of her, that predator part of her, that part that had her stalking board rooms to have the old men sitting their bowing and scrapping from her to not face her wrath, knew there was more to it than this. Because Hestia was emitting an aura herself, exerting a subtle pressure on the room. It was comfortable, and not threatening, Lena couldn’t help but note even as the group laughed at the girl’s antics. But it was very definitely present.

This, paired with her otherworldly beauty, told her that there was far more than simply being an alien at work here.

Lean wondered idly if Eliza was aware of this, which of course led her to consider the changes in Kara’s adoptive mother. She knew that Eliza had supposedly spent some time at a health spa (she was starting suspect that it was a cover) but there was no health spa Lean had heard of that could produce _that_ great a change.

And, now she thought about it, it wasn’t like the argument was particularly convincing.

Rather that something was making Lena want to believe it was.

The same thing, she thought as her mind raced and her eyes narrowed, that made her want to ignore the pressure that the sweet, kind, fun, otherworldly beautiful little girl in front of her was applying.

Lena felt a fury building behind her eyes. _How dare they mess with her mind!_

No sooner had she thought this than she saw the dark eyes of the little girl looking at her.

The little girl smiled at her, a smile entirely unsuited to her age (her apparent age, Lena amended) filled with gentle compassion, wisdom and empathy, and just so happened to be beneath a pair of eyes that had seen _far_ too much.

After a moment, the small figure nodded at her gently, conveying almost perfectly ‘We’ll talk about it later.’

The raven-haired genius leaned back in her chair, suddenly tired.  
More secrets and lies, huh?  
Par for the course really.  
Her mind pulled memories of her time with Kara, all of the arguments and fighting that ultimately stemmed from a love of each other and wanting to keep them safe.

Maybe, the mother and daughter had a good reason for it?  
She would reserve judgement, she decided, listening to the group laugh once more. It’s the holidays, and her love and their family wanted her to rest, were quite insistent on it really.

Maybe she should do just that for a while.

And enjoy this drink while she’s at it. She gave herself a little grin.

Maybe she can use this to blackmail Eliza for the recipe? She thought with a little chuckle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's the last of Christmas eve. Next up, Christmas!!  
> (seriously, way too many parts for one day but oh well)  
> Hope y'all enjoy!   
> Kudos and comments are always welcome! <3


	21. Christmas pt. 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Christmas day! (Finally)  
> Morning shenanigans for the troupe

**Chapter 21: Christmas pt. 1**

Hestia lay awake in her shared bed, cuddled up beside her younger sister as she slept. As had been the case before she had been killed and almost lost to the void, the little goddess had found she didn’t need sleep. Not that she didn’t enjoy it, it was a pretty fantastic way to burn some time, and immortals have an awful lot of time to burn.  
But someone must always tend the hearth, she reflected, and so had spent the night reacquainting herself with her divine nature. Stretching her essence across the Earth like cramped muscles sore from disuse.

The world had changed of course. It would be more surprising if it had not over several thousand years.

The Earth lit up like a map of the night sky beneath her divine sight as she overlooked the world, each star a bright light, great flames licking the clouds, shining as beacons of divine energy she could draw from. Fountains of power in the form of family homes, summer camps, no small number of libraries, among a myriad of other places where people felt at home.

Including, oddly enough, cafes.

She had felt a certain wonder at that, watching great pyres of raw divine energy specifically tailored to her burn on damn near every block in pretty much every city.

Every latte and mocha an offering, every espresso shot drawn a prayer for her favour fighting against another deadline.

The closest thing she could liken it to from the time before were travellers inns, but no-one ever really felt at _home_ in those places, and offerings made in her name were usually more out of obligation than not.

But no, apparently to the modern human (and aliens too she noted) cafes were frequently home to a truly impressive number of them, more so than their own homes anyway; a sanctuary against the toil of their lives, and Hestia was, apparently, their patron.

Bars too for that matter, she thought with a grin as she felt countless office workers sigh as they finally relaxed for the night behind a mug of beer or glass of wine.  
She might end up stepping on Dionysus’s toes a little there, whenever he gets around to waking up.

Then again, it’s not like they couldn’t share, the little goddess thought with a small shrug, careful not disturb her sleeping sister with her physical form.

Wouldn’t be the first time. And he could have all the clubs he wanted, Hestia thought with a grimace.

They were far more suited to his taste, and he was welcome to them.

The goddess's musing was cut short when her freshly divine hearing noted the softest of footfalls right outside of the sisters’ shared room door, followed shortly by it opening extraordinarily slowly.

Hestia smirked a little as she quickly closed her eyes and pretended to sleep.

She knew it was Kara of course, just as she knew that her new big sister was no more human than she was. Not knowing exactly what species the bubbly blond was was more of an issue of not having updated herself on what the options were than it being hidden from her in any fashion, she reflected, suppressing a giggle as she felt her new sister slip ever so carefully into the room.

As far as stealth was concerned, Kara had indeed made the correct choice to float while inside the room; no risk of foot-falls if your feet never fell. It would have been completely silent, to a regular human that is. But to the Goddess of the Hearth?  
The shifting air as the blond woman floated through it was damn near deafening in contrast to it’s surroundings, let alone the sound of her hammering heart or the barely suppressed mirth Hestia felt rolling of her as she readied to prank her new siblings.

Kara landed ‘silently’ beside the bed and drew in a deep breath, when -

“BOO!!”  
  
“YAAAAAGH?!!”

Kara fell backwards in shock after Hestia shot upright and yelled in her face, before the little goddess fell back on her bed cackling at the look on her sister’s face.

“What the hell?! Don’t scare me like that!” Kara pouted.

“Excuse me, weren’t you the one who was gonna yell to scare us awake? What, you can dish it but you can’t take it?” Hestia said smugly.

Kara opened her mouth to object when the pair felt a chill run up their spines as a growl came from under the blankets beside them.

“If the both of you don’t shut up or get out, I WILL make you suffer.” snarled Heather as a pair of glaring eyes appeared from the mound.

Hestia gulped. Heather wasn’t one for making threats she didn’t follow up on, and with one as broadly ominous as this, it was better to treat it deadly seriously.

Kara apparently agreed with this sentiment as she softly started walking backwards out of the room, keeping her somewhat frightened eyes trained on the pile of blankets that was suddenly a lot scarier somehow than many of the villains the superheroine had fought.

Hestia decided that prudence was the better part of valour and opted to follow her blonde big sister.  
Safely outside the room with the door as a barrier, Kara motioned to the little red head to come before walking in the direction of the kitchen.

“Sooooooooo, Heather’s not much of a morning person huh?” Kara commented blandly

Hestia took a second to savour the understatement before replying.

“Yup,” she dead-panned, causing the blond to snort.

By the time the pair made it to the kitchen they were both breathless with laughter.

Kara wiped away a tear of mirth before attempting to speak again.

“S-so, is she always this bad? Anything I gotta look out for?” she asked with a grin, which only caused the little red-head to smirk.

“No way. You can find that out on your own. I’ve already paid in blood for my knowledge,” she chuckled, with a little shudder.

“That bad huh?” Kara asked, quirking an eyebrow.

Hestia only responded with a broad grin, eyes twinkling with mischief.

Moving on automatic, the little goddess began putting the things together for a morning meal. She had just finished stirring together some pancake mix, with a little secretive smile that made Kara curious when Hestia spoke up from her automated cuisine.

“So big sis, why did you want to wake us up anyway?”

At this, the not-so-human ray of sunshine perked up, the room lighting up with her smile.

“Oh! I wanted to spend Christmas morning with my new sisters! And we get to open the first present for the day!”  
  
Hestia glanced over her shoulder at the excitable blond with a questioning look.

“Oh? We do, do we?”

“Yup! We used to have to wait but me and Alex would always end up opening at least one early anyway, so when Winn joined us we made a new rule that you could open one in the morning but the rest had to wait until the afternoon with everyone there,” Kara explained.

“Hmm Ok. Where’s Phoebe then?” Asked the red-haired cook as she flipped another batch, causing Kara to pout.

“I was gonna get her, but she slept with Eliza last night, and part of the rule is that we can’t wake her up,” the blond alien said sulkily.

Seeing Kara actually a little upset about this, Hestia turned off the stove and faced her sister with a bright grin.

“Well, more fun for us then!” she pronounced being for placing a plate piled high with pancakes in front of the blond.

Kara looked excited for a second before she looked at the much smaller pile on her sister’s plate and giving her a questioning look.

Hestia looked shy for a moment, chewing her lip for a second as she tried to think of how to navigate this topic before speaking.

“So, Eliza told us you were an Alien. She didn’t say what kind,” the goddess began timidly, “And she said that you have to eat a lot more because of it. Besides, I’m fine with just this for now, and it’s not like I can’t make more.” Hestia felt better for getting that out in the open, but was still nervous about how her new sister would respond, a feeling that only grew with the blonds continued silence.

Kara, on her part, looked thoughtful for a while, a look that persisted even as she cut up and ate the first chunk of her small mountain. She even accomplished chewing thoughtfully, her brow furrowed in thought the whole while.

Eventually, her face returned to neutral before she swallowed, gave a small shrug, and spoke.

“Well, I’m a bit annoyed that she told you without asking me first, but I was going to tell you anyway and it’s not like it’s a secret in the family. I was looking forward to telling you though,” she finished with a little pout causing her sister to laugh.

“Hey, none of that! We don’t know any details. I wanna know everything! Can I ask? What’s the name of your species?” Hestia babbled excitedly.

She had been honest on that count, she _did_ want to know everything, and she was very curious to know more about her sister in any way she could.

Kara ate another section before replying with a big smile.

“Oh these are good! Mmm – anyway. Yes, you can absolutely ask. As for the name of my species, I am a Kryptonian. You may have heard of them,” the blond finished with a sly smirk.

Hestia’s jaw dropped.

“You mean like Supergirl?” she asked in an awed voice.

Kara couldn’t help but grin at that.

“Yup. I mean exactly like Supergirl!” The blond said proudly, taking off her glasses with flourish to activate her suit and floating a few feet off the ground.

Hestia gave a small “No way,” even as her mind started to whir at divine speeds.

The little goddess could dimly hear her sister’s cheeky reply of “Way!” as her she went over the implications of this revelation. She should have known, should have guessed. She knew she would probably be running into a Super at some point, but she certainly hadn’t expected one to be one of her new big sisters.

To the people of Earth, National City in particular, Supergirl was effectively a God. They had the followers, their own cult of fanatical fans, even a church at one point a few years ago, even if that had turned out to just be part of an evil scheme.

The only thing missing was actual divine energy.

Shit.

She would have to tell Eliza to be very, very, _very_ careful about blessing her daughter, or they would cease to be basically a god and become _literally_ a God.

Best not to bless her at all, at least until she has a better handle on her powers.

Or she might want to be a God? She should at least have a choice in it though.

Hestia knew for all that Eliza had seemed to come to terms with her own divinity somewhat, the lack of a choice in the matter still rankled her at times, flying in the face of all of her ethics regarding bodily autonomy and right to refuse treatment.

Huh.

Medical ethics carried over surprisingly well to divine matters.

Who knew?  
  
“-stia? Hestia? Little sis?”

The worry in Kara’s voice shook Hestia out of her brain fog, and she found herself looking up at her sister, who seemed to growing increasingly anxious.

Oh. She thinks I’m going to reject her.

The thought jolted the Goddess of the Hearth into action, a small frown on her face as she wrapped the nervous Super in a crushing hug, letting just a little of her divine strength through, knowing that her sister could take it.

“Silly blondy! You’re my sister! That will always be more important than your night job!”

Hestia held her for a few moments, and elected to ignore the teardrops landing on her head.

After what felt like a couple of minutes, Hestia pulled back with a bright grin on her face.

“Besides! Now you can take me flying! Oh! We can go to France! They have the best wine and cheese there!”  
This comment finally brought a slightly wet chuckle from her big sister, who wiped her nose on her suit sleeve before replying.

“I’d be happy to take you flying! Even to France! I’ll have to say no to the wine though, Eliza would kill me,” Kara finished, the tension bleeding from her shoulders as she spoke.

Hestia blew a raspberry in reply before running into the lounge, Kara’s bright laughter following her.

A minute and a bit of rustling paper later saw the red-head bound back into the room with a present in both hands.

She passed one to her sister before sitting on the kitchen floor in front of her saying,  
“I thought we could swap! You go first!” With a bright look of anticipation on her face.

Kara shrugged before grinning and saying “Deal!” before sitting on the air in front of her, and tearing into the packet.

The paper fell away revealing a small box that opened to reveal a knitted sweater. Kara held it out in front of her to admire it. She had heard that her new little sister had taken to knitting, but she hadn’t expected this. The sweater was a deep navy blue and depicted the ever familiar skyline of National city picked out in matt-grey and black with yellow for the lights. The garment looked professionally made, not a loose stitch in sight, yet was clearly hand-crafted in loving detail.

“Eliza told me you liked the view a while ago,” Hestia commented shyly, which had Kara turn to her beaming.

“Like it? I love it! This is fantastic little sis, thank-you!” She exclaimed before wrapping her in a hug. Truth be told the attention to detail was amazing, and Kara knew she had a new favourite sweater to wear, besides Lena’s of course.

“Now, your turn!” The blond said excitedly pulling back and bouncing expectantly.

Hestia grinned in reply before tearing through the paper of her own gift, and gasping when she pulled out contents.

“Kara, I love it! It’s perfect!”  
  
Hestia held up Kara’s present in admiration, a black apron sized for a someone smaller with “Bow to the Cook” lettered across it in pink copperplate font.

“Eliza sent me a list of things you like, and after doing a bit of shopping around I found this. Something told me you would prefer this over ‘kiss the cook’ any day,” she finished with a chuckle, which got a giggle out of her little sister, who promptly hugged her in reply.

“Thank you! Best present ever!” Hestia gushed.

“Can I get that in writing for the others?” Kara asked cheekily, causing the red-head to scowl and punch her in the arm.

As they tidied up the evidence of their present opening and Hestia set about making breakfast for the rest of the house, Kara couldn’t help but frown a little as she rubbed her arm.

She was pretty sure she hadn’t blown out her powers.

But that punch had hurt.

It had hurt. _Her._

Not much, but even so......

There was clearly more to her new sister (or maybe sisters) than she thought.

Kara couldn’t help but feel a little excited about this somehow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally on to Christmas :)  
> This one day has 4 parts, so there's that.  
> Hope y'all enjoyed it! Kudos and Comments always appreciated <3


	22. Christmas pt. 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Christmas day continues

**Chapter 22: Christmas pt. 2**

Eliza woke far too early for her liking, but habit was always a force to be reckoned with, and being a goddess didn’t seem to change that. It did, however, seem to come with several other perks, one of which was that she could wake, feel sleepy and comfortable curled in her bed with her youngest daughter breathing softly beside her, and still have full cognitive function. Which was weird.  
Useful though, she reflected, still luxuriating under her flannelette sheets.

It was Christmas morning, so without a doubt Kara was already up, and chances are she managed to drag at least Hestia with her for the first present of the day, she thought with a wry smile.

She loved her girls. All of them.   
And they were all here, and getting along like they’d been family forever.

The thought lit a warm glow in her, filling her to her finger-tips. Phoebe let out a soft cooing noise causing the mother to look at her and found the little goddess cuddling a long tongue of gold flame coming from her body.

Huh.

_I mean, that is incredibly cute and all, and I really wish I could get a photo of it,_ the mother reflected _, but it looks like I have less control of all this godly stuff when I’m asleep_. _Go figure._

That was the only fly in the ointment left really.

It was going to be quite the conversation, whenever it happens, but how exactly was she supposed to say it? ‘Oh by the way, by adopting three goddesses and naming them I accidentally became one myself. Look I can fly and catch fire and .....stuff’ (She still wasn’t entirely sure what said stuff actually consisted of, but she was certain there was more to it than the obvious).  
If Eliza really thought about it, she was sure her daughters would accept it, eventually.

It was the meantime that was the problem.

The mother felt a whole new appreciation for Kara, and the struggles she must have had in trying to develop any real relationship. The background guilt alone....

The blond goddess shook her head, and cuddled Phoebe closer, turning off her divine fire.

Maybe she should just tell them?   
A thought flickered across her mind as she combed her fingers through the huntress’s hair.

She knew her eldest daughters.

Knew they were intelligent and observant.

Alex was an MD for the sake of the gods, there was no way she would take such a drastic change at face value! (Again with that plural. Still, made more sense than the singular to her now.)

This held true even more so for their partners. Lena was an intellect such as one might find in a century, if that, and Maggie was one of, if not _the_ most observant individual Eliza had ever met.

No, the chances of them not realising something was up was basically zero.

So, in that case, why shouldn’t she have a little fun with it?

The goddess fought back a little giggle at the thought. Goodness knows her eldest put her through enough nonsense over the years. Maybe she could get back just a little? She thought with a wicked grin. She’d have to talk to her younger daughters, but she was sure they could come up with something fun by way of a reveal.

In the meantime, Christmas breakfast wouldn’t make itself and she didn’t want to leave all of the work to Hestia, so Eliza began the slow process of extracting herself from bed, more specifically, the python strangle-hold of her youngest daughter. Turns out in her sleep her youngest daughter cuddled like letting go would mean never seeing you again, the mother thought with a sad smile as she finally slipped the last of the grip, causing Phoebe to let out a pouting little whimper.

Not wanting to leave the girl in such a state, Eliza gently woke her, calling her name and rustling her hair.

After a few little waking groans, the auburn-haired girl finally opened her eyes and smiled up at her mother leaning over her. After a little shuffle, the girl raised her arms and signed.

“ _Good morning Mom! I love you!”_

Eliza felt wonder at her understanding of this, knowing she previously had minimal knowledgable of ASL but it quickly gave way to the surge of affection she felt for the smiling little girl.

“Good morning my little huntress. I love you too! Merry Christmas!”

The sleepy child’s eyes grew wide at the reminder of what day it was and her normally small smile was large and bright as she all but shot out of bed.

“ _Christmas! Yay! Do we get to open presents? Can we do it now?”_ The girl signed in a flurry of hands, causing her mother to laugh at her mounting excitement.

Eliza knew she would have to research the depth of her new knowledge of ASL before long (there was no way she would have been able to keep up before, hells she definitely didn’t know the sign for Christmas let alone the rest) but she certainly wasn’t going to complain about her new found proficiency.

“Calm down, my darling girl. Let’s get you dressed and have breakfast first OK? As far as presents go, yes you can open exactly one before dinner alright?”

Phoebe’s already wide eyes grew wider still somehow and she signed almost nervously,  
 _“One? Does that mean I get more than one?”_

Eliza pulled her into a hug before replying, “Of course my love! You will likely be getting one from everyone here, or close enough.”  
  
This statement had the girl let out an uncharacteristic squeal of excitement before bounding to her feet and leaving in a (somehow silent) stampede in pursuit of clothing and food.

Eliza, for her part, found her mind settling calmly as one thought rang clearly through it, like the ringing of a bell or the fall of a gavel.

  
  
_I will find the ones that hurt my child._

_That made her treasure every moment and gift for the fear that it would not last or would be taken away._

_That planted this fear in her mind._

_I will find them, and I will deliver_ _**Judgement.** _

The thought calmed her somehow. It felt right, like fitting a piece of in a puzzle or a key in a lock, and the goddess knew without looking that she would be coated in shimmering white flames.

As she willed away the evidence of her divine nature, she couldn’t help but chuckle. She wouldn’t have picked it for herself but Eliza Danvers, Goddess of Found Family and Judgement felt fitting.

She decided that she would keep that to herself for now. She _knew_ , just as she found herself _knowing_ many things now, that knowledge was power, and knowledge of ones domains was by no means excluded from that. Better to have an ace up the sleeve than be found wanting at a critical moment.

Arriving at the kitchen found the mother at a scene she knew she would treasure for years to come.

Hestia, standing on a little box they had found to enable her cooking, giggling happily and wearing a new apron, spatula flickering as she she flipped batches of pancakes for breakfast. Phoebe and Kara, wearing Hestia’s gift, bouncing up and down in the middle of the room to some pop song before the elder scooped up the younger and rolled through the air, the pair of them laughing happily. At the table, Alex was sitting with Maggie in her lap, snuggled into each other in their own little world, as Lena, Heather and Winn sat beside them, the later gesticulating wildly as he no-doubt geeked about some technical detail of L-corps latest work. Heather seemed to be listening attentively, her smile amused by his antics while her face was awed by the content. The green-eyed woman for her part was also absorbed in the conversation, though she frequently looked at the giggling, air-bourne sisters, a look of tender love in her eyes and a soft smile on her face.

The mother watched the scene with joy building in her chest, and found she had to struggle to keep her divine light and fire suppressed. Then her previous musings on keeping the secret flashed past her mind and, with a little smirk, she let just trickle of her divine nature through. Carefully controlled as it was, it felt a great deal more comfortable to release it, the dim light cast from her skin easing a tension she hadn’t been fully aware of and letting her relax. The scene had a rightness to it, and this let her enjoy it properly.

......................

Kara was loving life right now.

She got to wake up in the love of her life’s arms, something that still filled her with awe. The pair of them having been going strong for some time now. They had been seeing a couples counsellor who had signed some really big, really scary NDAs and they had finally fully cleared the air around Kara’s secret, but even so the blond knew she would never take this for granted.

She had got to sneak out like she had as a teenager and wake her new sister!!! (only one of them true, but still!) and open the first present with them. Hestia had loved the apron and was wearing it now! And her little sister had made her the most beautiful sweater, seemingly expertly crafted to a quality that Kara bet even Cat Grant wouldn’t turn her nose up at!

To top it off, she now got to dance and play with her littlest (!!!) sister who was absolutely adorable and had been sooooo excited to find out her big sister was an alien. (She didn’t seem to know who Supergirl was, which was odd at the least, but was still plenty impressed with her being a superhero.)

There was no Cadmus, no Children of Liberty, no Lex Luthor always sticking his nose in things, and Kara had gotten the next two weeks off work, though she knew she’d wind up doing some anyway.

Life. Was. Amazing.

Then just as life was the best it had ever been and she was playing with Phoebe, she felt it.

A wave of gentle pressure, like when Lena put a blanket on her as she was falling asleep. It was kind, and gentle and loving. But it was very definitely there.

Kara had numerous advantages, being a Kryptonians under the light of Sol, the system’s yellow sun.

Super strength, practical invulnerability, flight, freeze breath, heat vision which was always cool (even when it’s, you know, heat).

And super speed. Which came with a few perks of its own. After all, what good is it going mind blowingly fast without the reflexes to match it?

Or, thought Kara, her thoughts speeding up to utilize it?

And it was this particular niche of her powers that the Kryptonian found herself using now.

Since getting together with Lena, Kara had brought many parts of herself long buried to light, including the fact that she had been on track to be the youngest person ever inducted onto the Science Council of Krypton before the planet collapsed, and had the intellect to match.

So the world began to slow to crawl around her, her sister’s laughter moving by only the barest of fraction as her mind accelerated well past human limitations and her powerful intellect was brought to bare.

She knew she was safe, had been safe.   
She knew the presence made her feel safe.

And, a neuron fired, the presence felt familiar.

What has changed?

Kara looked around the timeless room, her brain collecting and caching this one second infinitely extended by her perception.

She looked and saw her love engaged in conversation with her found-brother. Her sister cuddled with her wife to be. Her two youngest sisters, clearly enjoying themselves. Heather seemingly looking at her knowingly.

And Eliza, her adopted mother, standing in the door way, smiling and glowing gently.

Well.

That’s new.

The mystery was solved as Kara could feel the gentle wave of presence coming from smiling spectator. She could even spot a dim light coming off of her like candle glow.

The problem is, what should she do with this new knowledge?

Rao, what does it even mean?  
Does she even know she’s glowing?

A brief glance at the little smirk on Eliza’s face said yes, she knew, but it didn’t help the rest of the problem much.

Or did it?

Not that long ago, Kara’s first reflex would have been to ask Alex, maybe Lena depending on what it was about. Or, you know, Eliza herself.

But that smirk gave her a surprising amount of information, and, on top of being a potentially brilliant scientist by Kryptonian standards, Kara had been working as both a reporter and a superhero for years now, giving her a great deal of experience in working with human emotions and motives. This experience told her that Eliza knew what had happened to her.

Knew what she was doing. And, knowing that her adopted Mom knew about Kara’s own experiences in keeping big secrets, would probably tell them all in her own time.

Not that it would stop Kara from doing her own research of course. Her career had only served to fuel the fires of her own natural curiosity. But Eliza would let them know when she was ready, and she would respect that. This being settled in her mind, the super returned her attention to the still form of her laughing sister and eased her mind out of the one continuous moment, letting time flow for her once more.

Her delighted, delightful younger sibling resumed her bouncing, Hestia’s pancake landed even as she went to flip another, and the words of the conversation and music filtered in.

“Come here you!” Kara said with a grin, gathering Phoebe into her arms and floating onto her back.

As she held the giggling girl in her arms and floated in a gentle circle, Kara’s eyes landed on Eliza once more, still standing in the doorway and smiling gently.   
And yes, still glowing, just as little.

As Kara met her Earth-Mom’s eyes, the woman gave her a cheeky grin, a wink, and placed a finger to her lips in the universal (Terran) sign requesting silence.

Kara in turn stifled a little giggle and gave her the barest of nods before resuming her antics.

Yeah, Eliza would tell them all what was up in her own time.

And it was bound to be fun when she did, Kara thought, chuckling at Phoebe’s delight.

......................

Rasul, the mail room boy, sighed into his barely warm enough coat as he sat in the car lent to him for this exact purpose.

Watching this house. On Christmas Day.

Life really sucked sometimes you know?

It had been looking up for a little bit. Sure, he had been cuffed for getting caught shop-lifting (cameras were the bane of his existence) but then, of all people, Zach Saturn of Saturn Inc., the richest person for miles around here, hell, becoming one of the richest people in National City soon enough apparently. Zach Saturn had bailed him out!   
Even got him a job, even if it was only as a messenger boy and mail room work.

Rasul should have known better.

There’s no such thing as a free lunch, and this was always going to come back to bite him.

Sure enough, he was given a job on the low down, and told that his job, hell his life probably, depended on it.

You didn’t cross Zach Saturn.

The job? Find out if there were any old woman who had recently taken in any girls.

This old woman, one Eliza Danvers so Rasul’s research had found, had done Mr Saturn dirty, and got between him and his girl. And she had to pay.

Apparently.

So Rasul had to watch them.

Which was weird.

Rasul had heard about the jobs other people had had to take. Heard the aftermath of what happened to those who crossed him.

He had thought about getting evidence together and trying to make something legal happen, much as he hated the legal system, but apparently the local Sheriff, Sherrif Edward Warin was also under Saturn’s thumb.

Something about threatening his wife, an absolute doll named Jasmin. They loved each other to bits apparently, enough to elope when they were younger. Caused a bit of a scandal when that got out during elections, but the love they share was clear to everyone.

Rasul never had much time for romance, too busy staying alive, but he’d come to know the couple through his ‘visits’ so to speak. He liked them well enough, but couldn’t trust them.

And it wasn’t like Rasul wasn’t already on legal watchlists or knew anyone higher on the chain, you know?

So here he sat, in a shitty van, trying not to freeze, on Christmas day.

Playing spy for bloody Zach Saturn, and watching this Danvers woman eat and have a bloody wonderful day with her family, three of which she didn’t even know six months ago if his intel was correct.

He honestly had to fight the urge to ask if he could join them.

But no.

He had to spy for pit-blighted fucking Zach goddamn Saturn of all people.

Bloody terrific.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you're all enjoying the continued Christmas schnanigans!   
> Soooooo, I've been writing a bunch of side projects to help shift my writer's block. None of them are for SG, unfortunately, but if there is any interest in reading some stuff based on Percy Jackson or Miraculous Ladybug, I could post some early chapters if y'all want?  
> I'll post them eventually anyways, this will just be getting the first ones really early.  
> Anywho, hope y'all are staying safe, either from COVID or your general political climate!  
> Any and all kudos and comments are very welcome as always! <3


	23. Christmas pt.3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some Phoebe POV, and a little more. Hint of where it's all going (eventually).

**Chapter 23: Christmas pt. 3**

Christmas dinner was the best meal Phoebe could ever remember.

As she recalled more of her past life, this statement held more meaning. Memories of divine meals. Ambrosia. Nectar. Every kind of Meat and vegetable, even some that did not exist before.

Yet this meal was Better, she thought around a mouthful of chicken.

Yup. Better.

Maybe because the meal had more meaning?

She looked around the table.

Heather _(peacocks, flowers, crowns and warm hugs)_ , Hestia _(good food, a fire’s glow, a bright smile)_ , Alex _(flickering hands, smell of oil, sweat, steel, comforting strength)_ , Maggie _(a cheeky smile, a cat knocking a glass off a table, sharp eyes)_ , Winn _(newborn foal, awkward, smell of metal and tang of copper)_ , Kara _(Bright sun, unmovable strength, rush of air in flight)_ , Lena _(Crab, calculating and hard, soft inside, kind and warm)._

Eliza. _Mom_.

Her pack. Her family.

Yes. More meaning.

And, she thought around a mouthful of roast vegetables, she had never really been _(chicks chirping at thier mother, a starving wolf finally bringing down a rabbit)_ **hungry** before.

Before.

It was something Phoebe did not like to think about.

A fight.

A _(howl of wolves that they will come home, penguins leaving their eggs in the care of others)_ promise.

A vow.

Fleeing. Always fleeing. Always running.

From those that hunted her. Her and her pack.

From those that Wanted them, in a way they did not want to be wanted.

But they had been happy. Enough.

Happy enough.

Until He had come for them.

He.

_Bright flames, bright blood, bright steel glinting in firelight, laughter turning to screams, sharp cry of steel on steel, of steel biting flesh, of sharp teeth blunting and breaking on godly flesh,_ _cruel laughter and pain, pain and fire, pain and burning, Pain and blood,_ _**Pain** _ _and laughter, so much_ _**Pain** _ _......_

He of _blood_ and _fire_ and **Violence**.

Of combat and death, for their own sake.

Not to feed, not to stay healthy stay alive.

**Blood and death, for only more blood and death.**

He.

**Ares.**

Phoebe took a deep breath as Mom had taught her. With each breath, the thoughts of Before faded, until she could hear the laughter and talking of the table, of her pack once more.  
It really was a lot of food. And more food, after this food. Food that was cold and sweet, like frozen honey chipped from a broken hive.

That had been a good day, one of the After Before days.

After she had woken.

After she had fled, forced to leave her kin, her brother behind.

Left behind the dresses and oily smile of that Alpha, that Man, who had Wanted, and Taken, and Wanted her in turn.

Wanted her body, and soul.

Not as her, no.

Wanted her as a _(magpies hoarding, scars on a lion, high markings clawed by a bear to claim territory)_ Trophy.

To **Own.**

Phoebe did not want to leave her brother to that man.

But she could not let herself be Owned.

And it had worked.

And she had hunted and fought and stayed alive.

And she had met Mom and her sisters, and she was **happy.**

So, she must start hunting soon, to find her brother, and take him from that Man.

But for now, she must grow strong.

She smiled, and ignored the cooing of the bigger members of the pack.

Maybe this ice-berry-milk will help? She thought bringing another spoonful to her mouth.

......................

Dinner was going better than Eliza could ever have hoped, which unfortunately meant that everything had to go to shit.

Looking back on it, they had been so close too. So very close. They had been enjoying the last few spoonfuls of desert, everyone thoroughly enjoying the fruit of Hestia’s and her own labors.   
The mother had just spent the last few minutes watching her youngest spoon ice-cream into her mouth with every sign of enjoyment, her face alight with joy and a happy grin around her spoon, when there was, to the shock of everyone, the sound of the doorbell.

The happily eating, chatting family froze in an awkward quiet, with each member looking around the table and asking the same silent question:  
 _Were we expecting anyone?_

Soon enough each person’s eyes gravitated to the odd one out, Kara, looking sheepish and staring at her plate. It was Lena who broke the silence.

“Kara?”

The implied question caused the blond to squirm for a moment before she answered.

“Before we left National City, I was approached by a friend of my cousin from work about catching up at some point. She was interested in getting together to have dinner with me and you, zhao. She also wanted to meet the rest of the family but she had implied that she would visiting after Christmas, not during,” the reporter said by way of explanation.

Her mother frowned for a moment before sighing and said “Well, don’t keep them waiting out in the cold! Bring them in and introduce them!” This statement broke the tension somewhat, causing a few of them to chuckle at Kara’s scolding as she got up and answered the door.

......................

(About 20 minutes ago)

As Diana had driven into the town intending on making her way to her hotel, she was hit by a wave of sensations that almost had her drive off the road.

The dark-haired goddess’s mind blanked as she sat in her car and just _felt_ the crashing waves of power issuing forth from this little seaside town. This town, population of 5000, maybe 7k during tourist seasons, contained Gods.

Gods. Plural.

The divine power in the air caused her to break out in a sweat, her hand growing clammy as she crushed the steering wheel beneath her white knuckled grip.

_Why now?_ She thought, her roiling emotions a mess as her divine nature fought to surface. _Decades, centuries, my sisters have prayed that the gods might return. And I left my home to fight the only one left, and became a god without a choice. Why now?_

Diana could only feel despair at what she was sensing.

The divine auras leaking into the world around this little town told her that there were a multitude of them here. All this power, that could be reshaping the world into a better place, was sitting in this do nothing little town and doing little more than helping the plants grow, maybe clearing the weather up a bit.

A glance at a mirror showed her that her eye’s were starting to glow blood red as her aspect as the Goddess of War rose as if to spite her attempts at control, spurred and challenged by the presence of so much divine energy.

With a muttered curse that caused a nearby bush to explode in a torrent of blood and leaves, the Amazon restarted her car, and followed the crashing waves of energy, almost blinding under her emerging divine sight to the source of this power, the greater of two in the town, something she could just barely comprehend.

But if the other source was a roadside shrine, then this house....

This house.

This white picket fence, lovely little suburban home by the seaside was the new Mt. Olympus.

Squinting her eyes against the divine glow, the unwilling goddess of war stumbled out of her car, face ashen and palms sweaty, her knees fighting to buckle beneath her as she stood before the front door of the new home of divine royalty.

The door was painted a pleasant cream colour and had a wreath hanging from it.

The shear mental dissonance provided by this image shook Diana out of her impending dissociative state enough for her to ring the door-bell.

After forty nail-biting seconds, the door was answered by the last person she expected, a smiling Kara Danvers.

“Ms Prince, I wasn’t expecting you until at least tomorrow, come on in, we’ve got a fire going and some food left if you’re hungry!”

Diana trailed after her, her brain struggling to play catch up and her mouth supplying automatic platitudes of thanks as she realized that, yes, this was in fact the address that Kara had given her for visiting.

Which meant that someone, or more likely several someones, in this house, was a god.

This thought had barely registered in her mind when they arrived at the dining room.

And sitting at the table, surrounded by loving family, were four Goddesses.

And their auras rose up to meet her.

And three of them were familiar, like a long lost friend, or a lover almost forgotten.

And the forth was kind, but so very strong.

And this aura held her.

And the Mother looked upon her and smiled.

And Princess Diana of Themyscira, Daughter of Hippolyta and Goddess of War, knelt at her feet and wept.

For she was alone no more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the shorter chapter here guys. I would offer more as compensation, but my backlog is running low soooooo, yeah.  
> As a consolation prize(?) Imma post the first chapter of one of my other fics that may or may not have been taking over my writing.  
> This one is in the PJO fandom, so if you're keen, please do check it out! It features a cute, tiny, feral, Percy who may I may or may not have taken inspiration from Phoebe for :D  
> Anyways, as always, kudos and comments are forever welcome!  
> Take care out there, and all the best! <3


	24. Christmas Pt. 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ......Finally....

**Chapter 24: Christmas pt. 4**

Whatever Eliza had been expecting, this wasn’t it.

Kara had left the room and returned a minute later with a woman behind her. The first thing that Eliza noticed was that she was tall and beautiful, with an olive complexion and dark hair falling in waves around her shoulders.

The second thing Eliza noticed at almost the same instant was that this woman was a Goddess. Red light rolled off her in waves, strong enough that the mother thought everyone present might be able to see it. The waves crashed and surged like she was fighting it, struggling against it. The dim flicker of red in her eyes only served to reinforce this theory.

And the last thing that she noticed, though only perhaps a second apart, was that this beautiful woman (maybe she did need to think about dating the fairer sex?) was terrified. Her face was pale, and there was a trace of blood on her chin from where she had bitten into her lip. Her hand were clenched tightly by her sides and her legs looked unsteady.

Eliza took a moment to cast a questioning glance at her girls, uncertain as to how to react.

Heather seemed only worried for the guest, while Hestia simply gave her a warm, trusting smile. Phoebe was the last to react, watching this newcomer closely before at last turning to her mother and giving her a firm nod.

Comforted by their response, the Goddess of Found Family turned back to their guest and gave them a welcoming smile.

And just like that, whatever strings were holding the woman together snapped, her knees hitting the ground with an audible thud and her forehead soon following as she folded herself in to a familiar position.

This woman, this goddess.

Was bowing to her.

And glowing.

And crying.

_Shit._

Some careful coaching of the weeping woman allowed the mother to lead her glowing form into the lounge, carefully seating her on the couch. Eliza sat beside the sobbing Amazon, running her fingers through the large woman’s hair as she slowly calmed, the crying easing until she grew still, breathing gently and sleeping under the mother’s ministrations.

With a sigh of relief Eliza turned from her guest at last, only to find herself pinned by the eyes of her family, who had clearly been watching for some time.

After a seemingly endless awkward moment, Maggie finally broke the silence.

“So. No one else going to address the elephant in the room?” she said wryly, looking at the people around her, before finally shrugging.

“All right then, guess I’ll do it. First of all, What the hell was that?!” The detective asked in a whisper-shout.

Eliza, sighed and made to stand, an attempt which was aborted when she heard a whimper and felt Diana’s hands clutching at her clothing as she slept. With a rueful shake of her head, the mother re-seated herself and turned to face the waiting clustered group before saying:  
“Well, since I’m apparently not going anywhere, you lot might as well make yourselves comfortable.”

This suggestion was met with small chuckles and nodding as the group filled into the room, Maggie sitting on Alex’s lap in one arm chair, while Lena did the same with Kara on another, as the rest of them sat on the ground around the couch in front of the fire.

_This looks familiar,_ Eliza couldn’t help but think with a small laugh.

The mother smiled around at her family, getting encouraging nods from her divine children before turning to face her eldest two and their partners.

“Right,” she started with a smile. “I know you’ve got questions. Let’s hear them then,” she finished with a little chuckle.

This time it was Alex that broke the silence.

“So I know we’re all curious about whatever this is all about,” she started, indicating Diana’s resting form. “But I have a question that I think is a little more pressing. Why do you look so good? ‘Cause I almost believed the health spa, but the glowing is kinda throwing me off here.”

Eliza’s mind blanked for a second at that, before looking down at her hands. They were, in fact, glowing, as was the rest of her on closer inspection. Eliza couldn’t help but roll her eyes at this before sighing and asking her divine daughters

“When did I start glowing?”

Hestia answered, looking a little amused but mostly sympathetic.

“Since our guest bowed to you.”

Eliza scoffed at this, muttering “Of course I did,” before turning to face Alex once more, and giving her a little smile.

“Well you’re not wrong. The health spa has nothing to do with it. I meant to tell you all, later today. I had a dramatic reveal planned and everything. Not as dramatic as this though. Anyway, as a matter of fact, I booked the spa but never went. It was a cover for, well, this.”

At this Lena lifted an eyebrow and asked, “And what exactly is this?” Indicating Eliza’s still faintly glowing form.

The mother took a few deep breaths to settle her frayed nerves. She might have known this was going to happen and resigned herself to it, but that didn’t mean this wasn’t daunting, and her brain kept rattling off worst-case scenarios at lightning speeds before she felt a hand on her arm.

Looking up she found Heather smiling at her.

That’s right. Her new daughters had as much riding on this as she did, if not more, she thought, seeing Phoebe giving her a small, frail smile.

_They need this. I need this._

The thought settled her somehow, and she felt herself smile.

And let go.

Immediately she felt herself ignite, a surge of power flowing through her veins as the gold and white flames that were now so familiar to her, such a part of her, blazed across her skin, and spreading across Diana’s resting form. The sleeping princess let out a little sigh, and cuddled closer to her Eliza’s leg as the flames bathed her, clearly comforting her in her sleep. A sense of calm settled over the mother, a rightness, and she felt herself smile, beaming down at her family, all in one place.

_Hmm. Wait. This isn’t all of them. But we don’t know them yet, so this will do for now._

The thought flickered in her mind, knowledge known but not yet understood, and she shook her head a little to clear it before focusing once more on her now gobsmacked audience, and spoke.

“I suppose I really should re-introduce myself. My name is Dr Eliza Danvers, I am an MD and Xenobiologist and mother to five wonderful daughters,” she said, smiling at her family, and grinning a little wider at the awed expression on the mortal’s faces.

“And, as of about a month ago, I became the Goddess of Found Family.”

Lena and Kara were the first to recover from this revelation, exchanging a look before getting up out of their seat. Working with that harmony that spoke of long experience with each other, Kara left in a blur, returning a second later with glasses and bottles of alcohol for the her sister and their respective partners, and a small flask of something a lot stronger for herself. Lena in the meantime, pulled the seats closer together, and fetched a collection of soft blankets and quilts for cuddling, distributing them and finally seating herself on Kara’s lap once more, glass of scotch in hand, before breaking the silence.

“Well. I knew something had happened. No health spa, no matter how good, can produce results like that,” she said with a little smirk, indicating Eliza’s refurbished body.

“I’m going to ignore any discussions on whether or not Gods are real, we have all seen enough things that they can’t be ruled out any more than any of the other nonsense that goes on,” the green-eyed scientist continues, noting that annoyed expression of Eliza’s newest daughters.

“But that still leaves one question. How?”

And there it was, the question that was always going to be asked. Eliza chuckled to herself before pouring herself a glass and settling into her seat, one hand still combing through the sleeping Amazon’s dark locks.

“Well, it all began about one night in early November. I’d had a long day at work, and was feeling pretty lonely when I got home.......”

......................

Heather cuddled up to her new mother’s legs as she told the long tale of how her and her sisters had came here, and how this had in turn led to Eliza’s apotheosis. The mother’s flames had since died down, only a brief flicker across her skin indicating they had been present, but in the silence that followed Eliza’s story, the former Queen of the Gods could see the mortals’ eyes drawn to them, staring at the proof of their mother’s newly divine nature.

Finally Alex broke the silence with a little laugh. When everyone turned to her in question, she shrugged and said, “I don’t know why, it just struck me as kinda funny that you, probably the most normal of us, wound up becoming a goddess because of a lonely night and some poor choices including being a decent human being,” she finished with a grin.

This statement soon had everyone chuckling a little, and the tension bled out of the room, leaving Heather feeling much more optimistic about how this conversation was going.

“So, I’ve got a couple of questions,” Lena began, addressing the newly revealed deities, drawing another laugh out of the group and an “Of course you do,” from Kara, accompanied by a kiss.

“You are free to ask any you have of me,” Eliza answered with a smile. “Though for anything detailed, you will have to ask one of these three,” she said, nodding towards her divine daughters.

What followed was an in depth Q and A session, including an interview style interrogation of the elder goddesses by Kara about the events of Ancient Greece and the era surrounding it. While Heather spent most of that time answering inane questions to the tune of ‘Was there toilet paper?’(No) and ‘Was Zeus really as bad as the stories painted him?’ (Worse), there were a few questions which caught the notice of the whole room.

“So if you three were Olympians, were are the others? Have they come back?” Maggie asked curious. The detective had proved to something of a minor mythology buff, a hold over from a brief teenage fascination.

Heather sighed, her face becoming drawn at the thought of her old family. After a moment she answered.

“We know Zeus is around, because of course he is,” she scoffed, “But as for the others, I... I truely don’t know. I miss them. If I could find them again, then I’d like that,” she finished with a small smile.”

As if to answer her wish, Phoebe snapped her fingers twice, how they had decided she would get attention if she wanted to ‘speak’.

Attention secured, she began signing.

“ _I know where at least one person is. My brother, my twin, A-P-O-L-L-O. Not long after being reborn we found ourselves in a foster home. It wasn’t nice there, but things got worse when Zeus found us. He took us in and our lives got worse. We had to escape. We tried a couple of times, but kept getting caught. We promised that if we got the chance, we would run by ourselves. I got the chance one night, and I took it. I, I left him there.....”_

The small huntress was crying at the end, her hands shaking as the fought to form the last words and she soon found herself wrapped in the arms of her mother, with her sisters’ arms joining them.

Heather looks around the room and, seeing the exhaustion on the faces of the family says,

“Look, I’m tired, and I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one. How about we call it a night and pick this up again tomorrow?”

A few people looked like they might want to debate this, but a series of yawns began and quickly made the decision for them. One series of ‘goodnight! ‘ s later and a quick addressing of bedtime routines found Heather in her bed with her older sister once more. When the goddess let out her own yawn, her bedmate chuckled and caused the former queen to frown at her, seeing as she still looked as fresh as a new dawn. Hestia smiled at her sister and said,

“Don’t worry sis. Once this stuff is sorted out a bit more, I’m sure we’ll get your full rebirth out of the way.”

“Can’t come soon enough,” Heather muttered, stifling yet another yawn.

After a few minutes of silence, Hestia spoke once more.

“It was a really good day though,” she said brightly.

Despite wanting to smack her sister for being so cheerful while she was trying to sleep, Heather couldn’t help but agree, smiling as she remembered the events of the day. The food, the presents, the company. Her new family.

The brunette couldn’t help but worry a little though. Her big sisters and their partners, they were new to all of this. They probably didn’t fully realize what this meant. That their mother would be immortal, and be alive long after they had passed. That she would be in control of an aspect of reality itself, a part of what made humanity human.

She knew they would be in for another storm when that finally sunk in.

Then there was the matter of the new comer. Diana she was called, an Amazon, someone who had been under Hera’s patronage, regardless of how long it had been since the goddess had died.

And the new God of War.

She might have been pleased to meet Ares’s slayer after all these years, but her appearance now was certain to complicate things further.

Heather let out one more sigh, before snuggling into her big sister’s side. One more quiet goodnight and she passed into the realm of Morpheus, but not before wondering if that old sleepy bastard was still around.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay, the reveal at long last! Also the last part of Christmas, what turned out to be one hellova long day.  
> Many hints of things to come over these last 4 parts, wonder what you guys will pick up on....
> 
> So I've been working on other fics too, cause my brain refuses to stay on just one thing. Seen some of you guys reading them too, and honestly I can't describe how much all of your support meant to me. Love you all <3
> 
> As always, kudos and comments give me life! <3  
> All the best!


	25. Aftermath on a New Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The morning after!  
> Diana gets a bit of closure.

**Chapter 25: Aftermath on a New Day**

Rasul woke with a jerk, the morning sun blazing through the windscreen of his vehicle. Cursing as he attempted to work the giant knot out his neck that his sleep in the shitty vehicle had given him, he shook his head and took a quick drink out the water bottle he had brought with him.

The sandy haired ex-convict smiled a little as he looked at the bottle, remembering his time on the street. Teaching the homeless, the travellers, outcasts like himself how to live.

How to stay alive.

“ _Remember, you can go without food for a couple of days if you need to, but going without water will kill you a lot faster. Get a water bottle, doesn’t matter what kind as long as its clean, and keep it. If you lose it, replace it. You’ll live a lot longer that way.”_

_  
_He’d travelled all over, taught folk all over. Metropolis, National City, DC. Hell, he’d even stayed in Gotham for a while, though the folks there had taught him more than the other way around. Nothing like living in the world capital of crime to put an edge on your game, he thought with a bitter chuckle.

He still couldn’t believe he got caught in this do nothing, boring little town. He was always going to get caught at some point, he’d had enough close calls to know his luck would run out sooner or later. But in Midvale, seriously?  
 _Could be worse though_ , he pondered philosophically. _Could always have been caught in Gotham_ , he thought with a shudder, then offered up a little prayer to whoever might be listening.

Which cheered him up, for some reason.

Huh.

Finally properly awake, Rasul, started up the vehicle with a sigh and started driving.  
Much as he hated the man, Zach Saturn wasn’t someone he wanted with a grudge against him.  
And the late night visitor?  
The black haired beauty who had pulled in like the pigs were on her heels in a gorgeous car that she dressed like she could afford?

The bastard in charge would definitely want to know about.

Rasul sighed again.  
Once this job was done, he was gone.  
Having a job and a steady income was nice and all, but having a boss like this wasn’t worth it.

......................

Diana woke to the smell of frying, the scent of searing bacon filling the air and making her stomach cramp uncomfortably. Technically she was a Goddess, full and in her own right, but after decades of ignoring this side of her, the habits of her mortal life clung to her and her body was therefore firmly convinced that it needed feeding.

The events of the previous day filtered in with the sunlight that greeted her eyes once she opened them, making slam them shut once more. Following the source of divine power. The house, a temple of power. Knocking and having Kara Danvers, Supergirl, open the door. Remembering that this was the home of her mother.

Meeting them.

Meeting _Her_.

The warrior’s mouth had begun to form the prayers of old before she realised that they would do her no good. Not when the challenge that awaited her was the very ones who would have answered them.

Diana thought briefly about pretending to still be asleep, when she felt someone sit on the couch with her, on the end beside her legs, someone small by how the couch moved under them.  
This small person then climbed onto the couch, using Diana’s legs to steady themselves.

Then they climbed _on_ her, lying on top of the Amazon.

And, to top it all off, she felt a small finger start gently poking her cheek.

Wryly concluding that she wasn’t about to be left alone, Diana opened her eyes once more, this time to the sight of a small girl with auburn hair and amber eyes crinkled in amusement, with a small smile on face as she saw her unwilling cushion was awake.

Diana recognised her instantly of course. One of the Goddesses she had encountered last night.

Her mind kicked into gear, whirring with _who_ and _why_ and most of all _how_?

The little gir- Goddess for her part was clearly only further amused by whatever she saw on the Amazon’s face, as that small smile grew a little, forming adorable little dimples in her cheeks.

The sight was stunning somehow. How was it that this clearly powerful Goddess was this....  
cute? Just ridiculously cute?

The little Goddess sensed that she had the warrior’s attention, and sat up, straddling Diana’s stomach and signing something.  
  
Now, Diana had learnt ASL in the process of learning BSL, the Batman standard sign language that was used by the Justice League. But she must have messed up somewhere, because there was no way she interpreted that correctly.  
Why on Earth would the little Goddess have signed “ _Good Morning, Big Sister,”?_

As if understanding, Diana’s confusion over the matter, the little Goddess still sitting on her signed

_“Don’t worry Big Sister. I know this is confusing. But you are family, and welcome here.”_

Family? How had she earned the right to be family?  
They had been reborn by themselves. They didn’t need her.

She didn’t even have her Mother and sisters on distant Themiscera, where she was no longer welcomed. Why would they want her?

Diana had barely realised she was crying again when she felt someone hugging her, and turned to see yet another of the Goddesses from last night, a small red-haired girl smiling warmly at her. Yet another was watching from nearby, a tall women with brown hair and eyes, smiling gently with understanding.

The little red-haired one broke Diana’s musings.

“Phoebe, if you could let her get up it might be helpful,” she suggested with a little grin at the smallest Goddess, who pouted at her before getting off the incumbent woman.

Diana sat up and looked around at the three Goddesses surrounding her, and felt the pieces fall into place. Copper-red hair, dark eyes and a warm smile. A sense of fire and woodsmoke and home.

“Hestia,” she breathed causing the Goddess of the Hearth to giggle and give a little curtsy with her apron.

“At your service,” she replied with a cheeky grin.

The warrior felt a tug at her sleeve and turned to look at the smallest of them, the little girl they had called Phoebe. _Phoebe._ She took in the girl’s figure, her auburn hair and piercing eyes.

“Artemis?” Diana asked, certain yet disbelieving.

The Goddess of the Hunt and Moon smiled and nodded, before signing,  
“ _My name is P-H-O-E-B-E now, or P (with a moon)”_

Finally, the unwilling Goddess of War turned to look at the third of the three, and knew without thinking who she was.

Diana instant fell onto the ground on one knee with her head down before speaking,

“Lady Hera, my Patron, I am so sorry. I’m sorry, all of you. I have failed you.”

The brown-haired Goddess of Family and Royalty smiled down at the Amazon. An Amazon, one of her chosen people. She lifted Diana’s head gently and held her head in her hands.

“Diana, you are not to blame for your predecessor’s sins. Nor those of your father in being unfaithful to me. Nor are you to blame for not reviving us early, for it was never your job.”

The Goddess smiled down on the one who would have been her champion, before kneeling beside her, and placing a hand on her arm.

“If anything, I want to thank you. You put down my rabid dog of a son. We would never have been safe to reform if you had not done that. You even took up his mantle, however unwillingly. I can see how it weighs on you, as it should, but there is no-one better for it.”

The Goddess paused before smiling at the now teary-eyed warrior.

“I do need to ask that you don’t call me Hera any longer. My name is Heather now. I left my old name and role along with my man-whore of a husband,” she finished with a wicked grin.

This caused Diana to laugh.  
  
“So you finally divorced him huh?”

“Yup!”  
  
“I have to ask, what took you so long? He might have been my sperm-donor but he made a pretty useless Dad,” Diana commented, curious now. She had always wondered why Her-Heather had not simply left the man.

Heather scoffed before answering. “Useless Dad, useless Husband, useless King. I didn’t divorce him because I _couldn’t_ divorce him. Goddess of Marriage remember?” The brown haired woman said wryly.

“Right,” the amazon said, remembering the goddesses’ domains and marveling at having such a casual conversation with her former step-mother.

“How’d you get around that?”

At this time, the three goddesses around her grinned viciously, and Hestia answered,

“Till death do us part.”

The three of them watched as her brain clicked.

“That worked?” Diana asked in disbelief, receiving a series of grinning nods in reply.

The amazon didn’t even attempt to restrain the pure, unfettered laughter that poured out of her, quickly joined by the other three in the room, joyful that what should have been Heather’s biggest shackle turned out to be the key.

“Enjoying yourselves, girls?”  
  
Diana, turned with the others to the source of the voice, Eliza, leaning against the door-frame, smiling as she watched them. Her three divine daughters brightened at seeing her.

“Morning Mom!”

“Good morning Mom!”  
  
“ _Good morning Mom”_

The three of them rose to greet her, smiling as the hugged her, each of them receiving a kiss on the head or cheek while smiling brightly. Phoebe for her part simply hung off Eliza’s waist smiling softly up at her mother. Diana, for her part watched as they interacted, a bittersweet feeling building in her chest. It was a beautiful sight, a mother interacting with her daughters, and Diana felt desperately homesick. She could feel tears building behind her eyes as it struck her once more that she may never see her home of old once more, never walk the warm shores of Themiscira, hunt in it’s jungles, swim it’s river and lakes, laugh and live with her sisters or be embraced by her mother. She was cut off from her home, and all the love and warmth that entails, and had never missed it more.

“Come on girls, breakfast is waiting,” Eliza said gently, smiling at her daughters as she led them through to the kitchen.

Diana followed numbly, her heart aching with loss even as she drank in the interactions of the happy home. The others waited for them around the dining table, each seated beside their partners and smiling as they chatted. Kara had already began eating, and Lena and Alex were laughing at the ravenous blondes antics. Winn was chatting with Maggie about some of the more interesting cases she had had over the years. The group filed in, greeting each other happily, Phoebe wrapping each of her new sisters in hugs that melted the hearts of those watching before seating herself, a small smile on her stoic face as she served herself from the small mountains of breakfast food that made up the meal.

“-ana? Diana?”  
  
The warrior was jolted out of her brooding by the gentle words of Eliza standing beside her, watching her with a kind, yet faintly concerned expression.

“There you are. Would you care to join us?”

No sooner had the invitation been asked than Diana knelt on the ground once more. It was purely reflexive; a demonstration of respect to one who was clearly divine royalty by the sheer force of her presence.

“I thank you for the kind invitation, my queen. I am unworthy.”

Something about this display clearly didn’t sit well with the Goddess, and the warrior felt herself pulled to her feet.

“What nonsense is this? You stop that right now! You will sit with us, eat, relax and take that stick out your ass while you’re at it,” the Danvers matriarch insisted, pushing Diana towards the table with a little shove.

The warrior was seated with no fanfare, and the surrounding table continued to eat, laugh and chat as if nothing had happened. Diana felt herself staring around the table, her mind blanking at the warm family scene that felt more than a little unreal to her. A small thump on the table in front of her startled her out of the clouds in her mind to see a large plate laden with all a manner of breakfast foods and she soon found herself obeying the summons of her stomach. She may have ignored the meals she had missed, but her body certainly had not. Following some unspoken signal, the rest of the family left the table in small groups after they had finished eating, eventually just leaving Eliza, Heather and Diana seated there.

The Amazon watched as the mother fetched herself another cup of coffee, sighing as she enjoyed the first sip before addressing the elephant in the room.

“Now, seeing as you are my guest I think it’s high time I introduced myself. My name is Eliza Danvers, but you can call me Eliza. I am the mother of Kara and Alex, and newly the mother of Heather, Hestia and Phoebe. I also happen to be the Goddess of Found Family, and a few other things we haven’t figured out yet probably. Nice to meet you,” she finished with a cheeky smile, causing her guest to smile in return.

The warrior felt a little calmer after such a casual introduction.

“Nice to meet you Eliza. My name is Diana Prince, Princess of Themiscira.”

The Danvers matriarch looked at her calmly, taking another sip before replying.

“That’s not all you are, is it though,” she stated.

Diana felt herself hesitate. She knew the rest of her title of course, but it hadn’t been something she had ever been happy to claim, and she knew, with a knowledge that felt like a lead brick in her stomach, that if she claimed it here, there was no going back.

She found herself making eye-contact with the Goddess seated opposite her. Eliza’s eyes were patient and understanding. Warm in a way she missed the way only someone centuries away from home can miss something. The warrior let out a slow exhale before speaking once more.

“After killing Ares, I took his mantle and became the Goddess of War.”

Even as she spoke the words she felt the change. A sense of power flowing through her like hot metal, accompanied by the ring of sharp steel in her mind, filling her ears even as she began to glow blood red, like she had bathed in the aftermath of great battles. She had spent so long denying this part of herself that now she had claimed it, all she felt was relief, and she found herself laughing even as her red aura lit the room.

“There now. Was that so bad?” Diana turned to face Eliza once more and found her smiling and glowing herself. Gold and white flames licked the mother’s frame and Diana found herself almost kneeling once more, such was the power she felt in that simple display.

Enjoying the moment a little longer, Eliza took another sip before picking up a small cookie from a plate that Heather had acquired at some point causing her brown-haired daughter to pout a little even as she nibbled at one of her own. Finally, Eliza spoke once more.

“Now Diana, I have to say, of all the things I expected when I heard you were coming inside the house last night, you kneeling in front of me wasn’t one of them. And the same again this morning.  
I hope you don’t mind, but I have to ask: Why?”

......................

_Why?  
  
_ It seemed a simple enough question for her to ask, but Eliza knew even as she had thought to ask it, let alone when the word passed her lips, that the answer was going to be game-changing. Not that there was anything new about that, she reflected as she watched the black-haired warrior gather her thoughts to speak. But knowing about this before hand made for a novel experience at least.

Even with this foresight, Eliza still wasn’t ready for the answer.

“Why? The answer is simple. You are the Queen of the Gods. It is only right and proper that I kneel before you.”

Eliza felt herself staring. Becoming a Goddess had been big enough, but the Queen? When had that happened? She felt she should have known about that one at least.

As if to answer her question, Heather spoke up for the first time.  
  
“No. No she isn’t.” She said calmly, yet firmly. This statement was met with confusion from the Amazon woman, while Eliza felt a little light switch go off in her head. Right, Heather had been the last Queen of the Gods, she would know about this. The two other woman turned to the younger-looking Goddess who smiled at them before saying,  
“I assume you would like an explanation?” Which was met with a pair of nods.

“Right then,” Heather began, taking on a lecturing tone. “Eliza Danvers is not the Queen of the Gods. At least, not yet.” She looked at the pair, making sure they were paying attention.

“You were not exactly wrong Diana, Mom definitely has the qualifications for it. Even as a new Goddess, she is powerful beyond measure, and she has the fealty of multiple other divinities of high power so she could make the claim. But that is the important part: She has not made the claim.

It is not enough to meet the qualifications, one must actively accept the throne itself.”

Eliza felt her head spin at this revelation. She could here the other two discuss this, but the words drifted around her as her mind struggled to grasp the facts.

“You mean to say she could claim it at any time, and what I felt was the strength of her qualifications?” Eliza dimly heard Diana ask.

“That’s right. You know, even if you hadn’t claimed your title in full, you have good instincts for this. Trust them. No one divinity fully knows another’s role. Trust your instincts and your heart to tell you what to do, and you’ll do just fine. Or at the very least, you can’t do worse than your predecessor,” Heather snarked, getting a laugh out of the warrior.

Somehow those words cut through the chaos in her mind. Trust her instincts huh?

Eliza immediately felt herself calm, even smile as she drained what was left in her cup.

“I will not claim the role,” she said, catching the attention of the other two. “At least, not yet. Something tells me that it’s important I wait. You said to trust my instincts, right Heather?” She asked, getting a nod from her daughter.

“Well if you think you should wait, them waiting it is. Just don’t wait too long. The throne is unclaimed right now, and anyone could claim it, regardless of qualifications,” The former queen warned, getting understanding noises from the other two.

Diana finally smiled before standing up and saying, “Well, it was very nice to meet you Eliza. I have a feeling I’ll be seeing a lot more of you. As I’m in Midvale already, I might see the sights before heading back to National City.”

“Including a certain blond-haired daughter of mine and her CEO girlfriend?” Eliza asked with a sly smirk. The question got a blush out of the warrior goddess, before she straighten her back, looked Eliza in the eye and said, “With your permission of course.”

The mother chuckled before smiling brightly at Diana. “Well, I can’t say I saw it coming in the past, but I certainly picked up enough interest from the pair of them. If you treat them well, and you all respect and grow to love each other, you have my blessing, and I’d be happy to have you as a step-daughter,” she finished with a wink, getting a loud laugh from Heather as Diana brushed brightly before making a hasty retreat, bowing slightly before leaving.

Eliza found herself mulling over the conversation as she got herself ready to go into town and spend time there.

Queen of the Gods huh?

No, at least not for a while yet if she could manage it.

She had just become a Goddess herself, and she didn’t know all the ins and outs of that, let alone what being divine royalty would mean.

Best to take it slow, one step at a time.

Eliza could feel that being a Goddess meant a lot more than just catching fire every once and a while, or making glowing pancakes. There was some thing she was missing, and she felt certain that whatever it was would be catching up with her soon enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope this answered more questions than it asked :P
> 
> Thanks as always for the support!  
> Kudos and comments are forever welcome. :)  
> Take care out there! <3


	26. To Fit In or Not To Fit In

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eliza returns to work for the first time following her ascension.

**Chapter 26 _:_ To Fit In or Not to Fit In**

In good time, the visitors left to continue their own lives, each with fond farewells and promises to stay in touch and visit her divine daughters. Alex and Maggie had practically been in tears saying goodbye to Phoebe, and had promised to visit whenever possible, even extracting a promise from Eliza to attempt to visit them at least once every two months, which she made with good humour. It made her heart swell with love for her girls that they had connected so strongly to their new sisters. Diana for her part had left in her own car, following Lena and Kara as they left. It seemed the Goddess of War would be actively pursuing the pair, a thought that made her grin to remember the pair’s blushing smiles at the Amazon’s expression of interest. No matter which way you sliced it, Diana was a stunning beauty and her having super powers and being a goddess were also fairly major upsides.

New year’s Day had came and went, leaving the Eliza and her girls to celebrate a far quieter day, toasting in the new year over some of Eliza’s special hot chocolate. To celebrate the new year and all the may come with it, the hot chocolate had been spiked with Eliza’s refined nectar of pure divine essence, drawing the Heather and Phoebe into the ranks of true divinities once more. The family of goddesses enjoyed each others company once the initial shock to the system wore off, each of them relishing in the others presence before the outside world intruded once more. Eliza had work on the following Monday, and all too soon the intervening time vanished, leaving the mother stressed about what was to come. It would be first day back, and she knew that things were going to change, and she was almost certain not for the better.

  
As she retrieved her first cup of coffee for the day (habits of decades die hard, and having a divine body meant it had no downsides, so why not?) the goddess's thoughts found themselves wondering on the reactions of her colleagues to her change. It didn’t take long however for ‘colleagues’ to become ‘Amara’, the blond’s thoughts drawn to the stunning technician like flies to honey.

OK, thought Eliza as she enjoyed a coffee before heading into work. There’s definitely something a little gay going on here. The thought excited her, lighting a fire in her mind as well as other places at the thought. Maybe a lot of gay then, she reflected.

Well, its not like the male dating pool had turned up anything worthwhile. Maybe her time with Jerimiah was all she’d get in that area, and it was time to search greener pastures, she thought with a little smirk.

The drive to the office passed in the blink of an eye, and Eliza steeled herself to enter the building for the first time since her ChangeTM . She knew there were going to be reactions, remembering how Edwards had acted in their brief encounter. Sure the man had been drunk, but that just meant he’d said what he would have thought if he hadn’t been.

_Great,_ she thought bitterly. _Not only will I have to fend off parasites trying to use me to climb, but horny men, young and old, who think their dick makes them gods gift to women and that they_ _ **deserve**_ _to have sex with me._

The very thought made her want to extend her vacation indefinitely.

On the other hand, Amara would be there, she mused thinking about her interactions with the stunning technician before she had left for her leave. It was not just that blond was easy on the eyes, (though that definitely helped), but that Eliza had enjoyed their talks and had even become friends, or so doctor hoped. And now that she was considering women as a potential source of romance, Eliza had to admit to herself that Amara had been her first thought. As if that wasn’t enough, the beautiful, intelligent woman had very definitely been flirting with her in their time together. Nothing heavy or overt, more just letting Eliza know that she was an option, should the goddess ever choose to pursue it.

And the mother couldn’t deny it: she was interested.

With that thought in her mind, Eliza stepped out of the vehicle and made her way inside the building. She tried to act normal as she passed her colleges, whose reaction in turn was entirely determined on if they looked at her or not. The number that she passed focused on their work gave her no more than their regular greetings; everyone else was a shit show. Dropped jaws fell like dominoes, and more than one drink was spilt as she passed. Eliza felt herself speed up until she was all but running inside her office, slamming the door behind her, before suppressing a sob. She had known they would react, that was simply a given at this point. But some of those people out there had known her for years, decades in one or two cases. And all of that was simply thrown out the window as they stared at her changed form. Not a single look of respect for her work, mind or personality as they had once smiled at for before. She had kind of expected it, but the reality felt so much worse. No, now she was looked at and lusted for. She could still feel their eyes on her. On her lips, her ass, her bust. And just as suddenly as the tears had come, Eliza felt a white hot spike of anger.

_How dare they!_ She had worked too hard for too long to simply become a piece of ass!

The goddess could feel her fire glowing in her wrath, and the sight of the gold and white flames licking the walls made her take a few deep breaths to recentre herself, before casting one of the few minor miracles she could perform intuitively, clapping her hands to clear the air in a brief rush of air and light, making some papers shift and the curtains twitch as her power blew through the room.

Eliza sighed, feeling the calm of the purified air.

To try and ease herself back into her work, the doctors began her usual routine, beginning with checking her emails and inbox tray. Moving through the motions was as familiar as breathing, so it wasn’t until she was most of the way through her arriving at work ritual that she realised that she had been taking her time, more so than usual. Pondering as to why this might be, she almost dropped the cup she had been holding when she figured out what it was: she was saying goodbye.

She certainly hadn’t planned on it when she came into work today, but the more she thought it the more it made sense. Retirement had been an option for a while, and since accepting a number of promotions over the years, combined with and her girls moving out and her having no extra costs, her savings had ballooned over time to a frankly ridiculous degree.

All that being said, she hadn’t seriously been considering quitting at all until her change.

And that was the kicker wasn’t it? Her change. She was a Goddess now and, putting aside the extra special helping of potential workplace harassment, something told her that being a Goddess wasn’t going to mesh well with the requirements for her job. The thought gave her a small chuckle.

To Apply: Must declare previous convictions and Divine status.

Finishing her routine, Eliza took a moment to gather her thoughts, pulling out a notepad and writing a list in an attempt to give herself a plan. After an hour of corralling stray thoughts onto paper, the mother had at the very least a guideline with which to work on. She would be leaving her research jobs, as well as any scheduled lecturing work. She would accept the occasional guest position, if only to have a convenient reason to travel, and would try and maintain her clinic hours to keep her medical licence, for the meantime at least. As far as leaving her research position, she had two tasks she had given herself for the day. The first of these, putting in her notice and clearing out her things, as well as tidying any notes she had for whoever took over would take the better part of the day which caused Eliza to sigh. Whatever else, she definitely wouldn’t be missing the paperwork.

The goddess was only grateful that they were between larger projects right now so the lab had no good reason to keep her around and her contract enabling her to leave in such cases should she desire. A brief phone-call confirmed that her girls were more than happy for her to use them as an excuse for her departure. Heather had sounded sad at her choice, thought her voice had been altogether too knowing, making Eliza suddenly feel blessed that quitting was a choice, rather than having her boss also be her immortal, abusive, husband.

When she got home she was going to hug that girl _so_ hard.

By early afternoon, Eliza had finished the paperwork side of things, which only left the second task of the day. The blond goddess suddenly felt her mouth go dry. She hadn’t exactly planned on this part when she came here this morning, but since she was quitting, she really didn’t have anything to loose. Rising from her seat, Eliza went to the restroom and took out her meagre supply of cosmetics. She had opted to go without this morning, in order to not draw unwanted attention, not that it had worked. In the same vein, her clothing, while professional and suitable for labwork, was more restrained than she might normally choose, a fact she now regretted. With a sigh, she opened her mascara and went to work. Eliza was light-handed with the make up, knowing that her newly divine form would do most of the work for her, but she wanted to have the best chance possible, and short of going home and getting changed for the occasion, she would have to make do.

Finished up, and adjusting her neckline just a touch lower, she made her way through the building to outside the technician’s office even as her heart pounded in her chest.

  
_Come on!_ She thought, _You’ve done this before. You’re a Goddess, you can do this!_ She thought, ignoring the little voice that told her that while, yes, she had done this before, it hadn’t been exactly like this, now had it?

Steeling herself, Eliza knocked on the door before opening it and being greeted by the beaming smile of Amara Valentine, her (former) technician.

“Eliza! It’s so good to see you! How was your break?”

The stunning blonde greeted her enthusiastically, standing up to give her a hug which surprised Eliza, though not unpleasantly.

  
_Maybe I’ve got a shot a this_ , she thought, feeling her heart flutter with excitement.

“You’re looking fantastic, the health spa did you absolute wonders! Not that you needed it?” She finished with a wink.

Deciding turn about was fair play, Eliza gave her a warm smile before answering,

“It’s great to see you too, Amara. I have to say, you’re looking beautiful as always,” she adds, laying a hand lightly on the other woman’s while making eye contact.

To her surprise, Amara had a soft blush on her cheeks as she smiled at the compliment, practicality glowing under the office lights.

They remained there for a second before Eliza remembered herself and took her hand back, not missing the flicker of disappointment on the technician’s face.

“So, it must be coming up to your lunchtime. I was wondering if we could go get a coffee or something, catch up?”

Her own brown eyes met the shifting green-grey-blue eyes of the other woman for only a second, yet even in that time their pull was strong, leaving Eliza wondering what it might be like to be lost in their depths, leaving her startled when Amara answered.   
  


“Sure! I’d love to! Just let me get my coat and close up and I’ll meet you out front?” She asked, getting a happy nod from Eliza who all but sped through the building, paying no mind to the eyes that had so troubled her only hours before.

Soon enough, a happy Amara left the building to meet her friend. With a joyful grin, she took startled Eliza’s hand and started walking, saying “There’s a place only a couple of streets away, a new small business called Muses that does some of the best coffee I’ve ever had! Come on, you’ll love it,” she finished with a happy smile at the now somewhat flustered Eliza.

The walk to the café in question passed in a blur to the mother, and soon enough the pair found themselves seated at the pleasant little venue. They had talked the entire time of the walk, and only paused now when their drinks arrived, some sophisticated cappuccino for Amara and something black as night for Eliza (some habits died very hard indeed). As they paused to drink their respective beverages, Eliza found herself looking around the shop in interest.   
  
“It’s a nice place isn’t it? Apparently, some the owners are sisters and moved here from Greece. A lot of the inspiration for the design came from their mythology,” Amara said in an informing tone.

Sure enough, the corners of the shop had been painted by someone talented to be reminiscent of Greek columns, and the artwork on the walls showed gorgeous watercolour paintings of scenes from Greek myths. The Fall of Icarus, the Trojan War, The birth of Aphrodite, Persephone’s descent to the Underworld. Something about the place was raising flags in Eliza’s mind, yet she couldn’t help but feel at peace here. She was shaken out of her thoughts by Amara speaking once more, and they soon fell into a discussion about the pros and cons of soap-opera’s as a TV genre and art form.  
  


(“I’m telling you Eliza! Some of them are masterpieces, far more deserving of awards than some of the trash that gets to walk on stage at the Oscars!” Amara said passionately to Eliza’s indulgent smile.)

Far too soon, their drinks are finished and it becomes time for them to leave. As Amara made to pull her chair back, Eliza found herself wanting to grab her hand, pull her back, and the sensation only grew stronger as she too rose from her seat.   
“Well, time to head back to work,” Amara said before letting out a little sigh. She doesn’t want to go, Eliza realised, her breath catching at the thought. The goddess swallowed, her mouth dry as she went to speak.

  
“A-Actually, I was wondering,” she started, inwardly mortified at her stutter. Regardless, it seemed to catch Amara’s attention as she froze, looking at Eliza with a carefully neutral face and, was that hope in her eyes?

  
“Yes?” the younger woman asked, seemingly unable to keep the positive inflection out of her voice.

“IwaswonderingifyouwouldliketogoonadatewithmethisSaturday?” She blurted out, which got a chuckle out of the technician.

“Eliza, darling, breath. I hear its good for you,” she said with a little giggle. “Now, what was it you were trying to say?” Amara asked gently.

Taking her advice, Eliza took a deep breath and released it before speaking.  
“I was wondering if would like to go on a date with me this Saturday?” she said, with a confidence she only wished she felt. The words hung in the air between them, and the mother brown-eyed goddess felt herself growing more nervous the longer the silence lasted, before finally Amara broke it.

“I didn’t think you were interested in women,” she said carefully, with a calm she was obviously using to mask how she truly felt.

“I didn’t either. Never was before,” Eliza said with a nervous chuckle. “But nothing has been working for years with men, and you’ve been so nice and wonderful, and Gods you’re beautiful, and I started thinking maybe I was looking for love in the wrong place? Not that you’re only a second choice, oh Gods that came out all wrong, you’re clearly a first choice, always, I just really like you and-” Eliza cut off as Amara put a hand on her face stopping her cold. The goddess could feel herself leaning into her touch, and sorely missed it when she took it away.   
  
“So, what I got from that was that romance hasn’t been working out for you, and I was your lesbian awakening?” Amara asked with a teasing tone.

“Yeah, pretty much,” Eliza answered with a small chuckle.

“And you’d like to go on a date with me?” The younger woman asked, getting an eager nod in reply.

“Why?”  
  
For once, Eliza had a good answer and was able to speak clearly.  
  
“Because you’re a great friend and amazing person, you’re beautiful and you brighten up my day, I feel a spark when I’m with you and I’m hoping we can explore it together.”

  
The certainty in her voice seemed to shock the younger women, who watched her for a moment before speaking carefully once more.

“So, a date on Saturday?” She asked.

“Yup,” Eliza answered with a firm nod.

“I think I’d like that,” Amara said with a smile that left Eliza breathless, before walking away, then stopping after a few steps to turn and say,  
  
“By the way. I think you’re beautiful too,” before giving a flirty wink and leaving again, this time with a small but noticeable extra sway in her hips.

Eliza for her part was still shaken by her success, but after she had confirmed that yes, that conversation did in fact happen and, yes, she did in fact have a date with the beautiful, brilliant Amara Valentine on Saturday, she could help but let out a whoop of pure happiness, grinning from ear to ear and earning a few laughs from the other patrons at her antics.

About a street away, Amara heard the triumphant yell of the wonderful woman who had asked her on a date, and felt her own smile grow until she too was grinning happily. She could hardly believe her luck. The woman that she had wanted to seduce for power and had grown to actually care for not only seemed to return those feelings but had actually asked her out on a date!

  
Amara may not have been a full goddess for a long time now, but she could feel the rush of warmth and power as the strength of being in her domain, being in _love_ , started to fill her. It was small yet, but in time, Eliza would have a goddess worthy of her by her side, she just knew it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked the chapter!   
> So I have some news for y'all. I have run out of pre-written chapters and as such I'm definitely gonna be slowing how often I'm posting this fic. My inspiration for it is dying out a little, and I don't wanna force it. This is still my baby, my first fic, and I wanna treat it well. And if that means I only post once a month?   
> So be it.  
> My biggest thanks to those of you who have been sticking with me the whole way so far, you guys have been a light in my life, and I can say with no hesitation I wouldn't have gotten this far without you. Love you guys <3  
> I will say, before anyone panics, I WILL NOT be abandoning this fic. Chapter releases will just be as I finish them, however long that takes me.  
> All the best out there! <3


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